Look To The Western Sky
by GreenGirl13
Summary: A Wicked Fic, based on the musical. What happens in the land of Oz after The Wicked Witch Of The West's demise. THE EPILOGUE IS UP! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
1. Glinda

I do not own anything from The Wizard of Oz or from Wickced Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews of my first fan fic (A Change In The Weather, also a Wicked fic.) They were very helpful. This one is about what is happening in the land of Oz after Elphaba "dies". This story is still in the works, so the entire thing is not up yet, though I plan to have many chapters. Let me know what you think of this story! Thank you!

**Look To The Western Sky...**

**Chapter 1: Glinda**

_It was night, and there was rain pouring from the sky. Glinda was hurried along the slick cobblestone road by a thin, bony hand. As the crowd thinned, Glinda could see a carriage waiting for them. _

_"Quick Elphie, get in!" She climbed into the carriage, turning to help her friend up. But Elphaba was no where to be _

_seen. "Elphie? Elphie!" Glinda's heart caught in her throat as she saw her friend in the middle of the crowd, the rain pelting her emerald green skn.The look that Elphie gave her chilled her to the very bone. _

_"Go...I can't come with you,...you have to do this on your own."_

_"Elphaba? What do you mean...surely you won't...leave?" But her friend said nothing, turning her face up into the downpour. "Elphie please...don't go...you can't just leave me here all alone!" Glinda heard a great roaring of the wind, and the air grew cold. Suddenly a huge funnel picked the carriage and Glinda up, swirling them higher and higher. Glinda heard Elphaba scream, and could see green smoke rising from where her friend had been standing._

_"Elphie! Elphaba!" The darkness of the funnel could obscured Glinda's view, making everything a great, black nothing. _

Glinda's eyes snapped open, she was sitting up, her arms outstreached in front of her. Glinda breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was only a dream." _Then why does it still hurt so much? _Glinda climbed out of bed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Every month for six months after Elphaba died Glinda had that same dream. No matter what remedies she tried, the dream

would always be there.

Glinda lit a candle and went to the window, her thoughts heavy. She hadn't actually been there when it had happened. Elphaba had told her to hide, so she had. But Elphaba's scream as she was melted still reached her ears, and had never gone away. Glinda hated the nights when she had the nightmare. All the old feelings always came rushing back. The feeling that there was nothing she could do, she felt complete helplessness.

After Elphaba had melted, and the Wizard had left, Glinda hadn't known what do with herself. The citizens of Oz wanted her to govern them. Glinda had taken the job, but she had no idea how to run all of Oz. She never did take a fancy to politics, that had been Elphaba's specialty. Even though Elphaba seemed to sense a conspiracy in every event, she had a knack for thinking all the political sides of an argument through. Glinda wasn't sure how long she could continue pretending like she knew what she was doing.

Glinda also wasn't sure how she was going to keep up the charade of celebrating Elphaba's death. Whenever she talked with someone on the street, they would bring up the melting. Glinda would smile, and put on her bubbly air, but inside she felt as if her heart were breaking in two. The only time that she could truly mourn for her friend was at night, before she went to sleep. She had kept the small green bottle that Elphaba had cherished so and put it under pillow. Every night she would look at it, thinking of her friend.

Now, with her mind too worked up to sleep, she went to a handsome oak chest in the corner, rifling underneath all her gowns and bodicies. Carefully she drew out the thick, elaborate book hidden there, The Grimmerie. Glinda lit a small candle, and sat on the ledge by her window. She had tried time and time again to decipher what the ancient book said, but its words were still a mystery to her. Glinda opened the book, willing herself to finally, be able to make out something, anything inside its pages. The words on the thin paper seemed to rearrange themselves as Glinda looked at them, they floated, twirled, made new words, the changed again, so Glinda could never be sure of what it said. Glinda had never fully understood how Elphaba could read anything within the Grimmerie. She reasoned that it was because the Wizard was her father, she had blood of both the Wizard's world, and of Oz. Glinda had heard once that the Grimmerie had come from the Wizard's world, so it made sense that Elphaba had been able to read a little of it.

"Elphie...why, why did you have to be so darn_ brave_? You could have escaped, found somewhere else to go, gotten away from all this. You didn't have to stay...you didn't have to..." Glinda's throat closed up as the tears filled her eyes again. She had never told anyone, but Elphaba had been her best friend, she had always been truthful to Glinda, she had never lied to Glinda to make her feel better, but always was simply real, the first real friend that Glinda had ever had. Her heart greived, knowing that she would never see Elphaba again.

With a sigh, Glinda snapped the Grimmerie shut, she wasn't going to get any further tonight then she had last night. After hiding it back in the chest, Glinda blew out the candle, heading back to bed. She always felt exhausted after the nightmare, as though a great weight were being pressed down upon her, and the tiredness would always seem to come very suddenly, without warning. As the rain continued to fall, Glinda tried not to think of her dream, and imagined what Elphaba would be doing right now, if she had lived.


	2. Elphaba

**Chapter 2: Elphaba**

Down in a small alleyway close to Glinda's home, a cloaked figure hurried into the darkness. As it neared the end of the alleyway, it turned suddenly, and opened a small door that would otherwise have been hidden from outsiders. The figure took one glance back in the direction of Glinda's window, then disappeared into a small room beyond the door.

At first all was black, then, a flame lit up, casting an orange hue on the walls. The face that it illuminated was emerald green, long black hair framing Elphaba's face as she pushed the hood of the cloak back. She lifted her candle, and went to one of the back walls. There were some loose stones, which Elphaba moved without much trouble, revealing a long, narrow passageway. Elphaba headed down the tunnel, replacing the stones from the inside of the tunnel. As Elphaba walked, she thought about what she had seen inside Glinda's house.

For months, Elphaba had been sneaking into Glinda's room at night, disgused in her ebony cloak. She put a small spell on the house whenever she visited, causing the entire household to fall asleep, and stay asleep until she left. The only night that she didn't usually visit were the nights when Glinda's nightmare came. For some reason the nightmare was strong enough that Glinda could wake up, resisting the spell.

Elphaba hadn't been thinking very clearly and forgotten that tonight was the night for the Nightmare. She had hidden herself behind Glinda's elaborate changing screen, peekinig out from the side to see her old friend. Elphaba had gotten a queasy feeling in her stomach as she had watched Glinda's face when the nighmare came. Glinda had been moaning in her sleep, tossing and turning, the suddenly sitting bolt upright, her eyes had flown open and her hands had reached out. Elphaba couldn't help but notice the tears running down Glinda's cheeks as she had gone to her window.

Elphaba knew that the dream had been about her. Glinda had mumbled her name, pleading with her not to leave. Elphaba felt a pang in her stomach. She hated not telling Glinda that she was alive, but she just couldn't. It could put Glinda in danger, and Elphaba would rather truly die then to have Glinda blamed for things that Elphaba had done.

Still, Elphaba couldn't help but imagine how different things would be if Glinda knew that she and Fiyero were still alive. Even though Glinda could be a little...well...superficial, she had been the first friend that Elphaba had ever had. Elphaba grinned when she thought of the night long ago at Shiz when Glinda had first given her the sharp pointed Witch's hat.

_Elphaba stood in the hallway outside of the doors to the Ozdust ballroom. In her hands was a black, sharp pointed hat. Elphaba wondered why Glinda had given it to her, no one had really given her anything in her life. Elphaba stared at her hand, a bright green against the black of the hat. Why should she go in there? Why should she want to be like everyone else? They'd only laugh at her, she would gain nothing by going inside,...so why did she desperately want, for once in her life, to be like everyone else? Elphaba felt a burning sensation on her cheeks, and realized she crying. Surprised at herself she quickly wiped the tears away, shaking her head and thrusting her sharp chin out. Maybe she would go in, just for a little while, to see what it was like. After all, she couldn't think of any other place to wear the hat Glinda had given her, and didn't want the gift to go to waste. With a deep breath, Elphaba shoved the hat on top of her head, pushed opened the doors, and walked into the Ozdust Ballroom. _

To this day Elphaba still didn't know why she had walked into that room. They had all stopped dancing, staring at her, laughing at her as she knew they would. She had stood there, could feel a blush rising to her cheeks, but determined not to be humiliated, Elphaba had begun to dance. Mind, she wasn't the best dancer there ever was, could hardly keep a beat as a matter of fact. But for some reason, Glinda had come over, and had started dancing just as horrible as Elphaba. It was in that moment that they had become friends, of a sort. But over time that friendship grew, and Elphaba finally knew what it was like to be accepted, by one person at least.

Elphaba still had a smile on her face as she came to the end of the passageway. She drew on her thick black gloves, and pulled her hood up over her head. Gently pushing up on the low ceiling, Elphaba peered out into an old abandoned barn. Assured that no one was there, Elphaba climbed out, pulling her cloak tighter around her body. As she walked out of the barn into a small, empty dirt road, she did not notice the figure crouched in the shadows, watching her every move.


	3. Fiyero

_**I'm playing with the way I'm writing this story, so I decided to try and tell it from the point of view of different Characters. Please Review as it would be most helpful!**_

**Chapter 3: Fiyero**

As the sun began to rise on the great land of Oz, a solitary figure could be seen in the window of the castle of Kiamo Ko. The palace had once been the home of the royal family of the Arjiki tribe, but it had long since been deserted. But unknown to the rest of Oz, two fugitives had secretly moved into the great castle, two people whom all of Oz believed to be dead.

Fiyero gazed out the window, tapping his fingers nervously on the window pane. He hated the nights that Elphaba traveled into the Emerald City. His worst fear was that she would be captured, and he would never see her again. He had protested stubbornly against Elphaba's leaving the castle when she had told him of her plans to see Glinda again. He knew it was hard for her to keep the secret of her existance from her friend, but he didin't see any benefits of her risking her life to see Glinda again.

But Elphaba was even more stubborn than Fiyero, and in the end, she had won out. So now Fiyero waited, hoping that she would make it back to the castle unharmed. He let out a sigh of exasperation and moved away from the window, unsure what to do with himself. Sitting at a small oak table, Fiyero stared at his hands on top of the wood. Or, what had once been his hands, now they were the hands of a scarecrow, stuffed with hay like the rest of him. He didn't blame Elphaba for what he had happened to him, she had been trying to save him. If she had not come through for him as she had, Fiyero was sure he would be dead now. But there times when he could not help but wish there had been another way, another form he could have taken then one of a scarecrow.

Whenever he went to touch Elphaba, he felt ashamed of his appearance, embarrassed for the rough feel of his hands, the corse texture of his skin. He knew that Elphaba felt guilty for his new form however, and he did his best to hide his embarrassment whenever they were together. Actually, his new appearance had brought them closer together, in ways that nothing else could. For now Fiyero finally knew how Elphaba had felt all her life, and he admired her courage and strength in the face of all the hate that she had recieved for her green skin. Fiyero could not imagine how many times she had to go through much worse than he, for she had gone through her trials alone, while Fiyero had her for compaionship.

Fiyero's head came up as he heard the distinct three quick raps on the hidden door in the stiarway. Fiyero hurried down a short flight of stairs, stopping the middle and pusing a tiny hidden latch in the mouth of a stone gargoyle. A narrow door opened up in front of him, and a cloaked figure hurried into the room. Fiyero quickly closed the secret passageway and followed Elphaba upstairs.

She had unfastened her cloak, and was taking her long black gloves off her hands, revealing the emerald skin beneath. As Fiyero stepped closer to her, Elphaba took her hat off of a nearby table, staring at it quietly, her fingers lightly brushing the brim.  
"Elphaba? Are you alright?" Fiyero asked, worried. Usually when she came home from one of her trips to the city, she would tell Fiyero what she had seen there, and of the tiny tidbits of information she had picked up from talk she overheard on the street. But now she was oddly silent, simply staring down at her hat. Fiyero recalled the first time he had seen her in that hat, the night she had come into the Ozdust ballroom. Elphaba swallowed hard, still gazing down at the hat, she began to speak, her voice betraying none of the emotion that she might have been feeling.

"Glinda had the Nightmare tonight. I forgot that it had been a month since last time..." She turned towards Fiyero now, her eyes strangely bright. "I had to hide from her, you know how the dream can cancel out the spell." Elphaba turned her gaze downward, a strand of hair falling in front of her eyes. "Fiyero, she got out the Grimmerie..." Elphaba looked up again, beginning to pace about the room. "I've heard things...the people of Oz are not happy with the way their country is being run. I don't think Glinda can keep them under her control much longer. It almost seems like she's given up...she doesn't want to try to lead them...or maybe she just doesn't know how." Elphaba stopped now, throwing her hands up in the air in obvious frustration. " I need to be there! I need to help her! I know that's impossible, but I just wish...I don't know...I just don't know." Elphaba's arms dropped her side as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Fiyero went to her, wrapping his arms around her body, pulling her close to him.

"I'm sorry...I wish there was a way that we could help her too. But we can't...at least not now." He sighed, breathing in the smell of her hair and putting his head on top of hers. "I know this is hard for you...it's hard for me too. But there's no other way to keep her safe...if we show ourselves now, we risk not only endangering our lives, but Glinda's as well." He didn't know what to say to banish at least some of Elphaba's frustration...truthfully he felt the same helplessness as she did. "Glinda will find a way to get through this...she's stronger then you think."

Elphaba leaned against him, her energy leaving her.

" I suppose you're right...I just wish...but what good is wishing going to do us? It won't change anything, we have to keep looking foward, not dwelling on silly wishes." Fiyero smiled, she was back to her old, determined self. She put her hat on top of the shelves and began twisting her hair into a tight braid. "There were more people out this visit than the last one, it worries me."

"But you weren't..."

"No, Fiyero, I wasn't seen, I made sure I was well hidden. Still, other visits might be harder if more people are around who might spot me. Maybe...maybe I should stop living in the past...you're right, I've got to let Glinda do this on her own. She is rather smart, though she could have fooled me when we were in school. She'll figure out a way to fix things, and she can always pour on more of her irristable charm if she gets in a fix." Elphba smiled at the thought of that, Glidna really was the master of pouring on the charm. It was a habit that had persuaded nearly all the professors at Shiz to give her a good grade. Well, all the male teachers anyway. Fiyero saw the fire was back in Elphaba's eyes as she turned to face him, her chin set, a determined look on her face. " Very well, the next vist I take to the Emerald City will be my last."

_**(Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the mysterious figure from the previous chapter. He'll be showing very soon in the story! Please R&R!)**_


	4. Mysterious Figure

_**Sorry it took me a while to update, I was at a show choir competition. But now...on with the story! (This is going to be a shortish chapter, I don't want to give too much away about our mysterious character. Also, I am introducing a character from the book that I don't think is in the play, Grommetik.)**_

**Chapter 4: Mysterious Figure...**

It was simply by chance that Grommetik had come across the abandoned barn. It had been sent to supervise a portion of a the workers who were expanding the yellow brick road into some of the more rural areas of Oz. The barn had been well hidden by some trees on the outskirts of a small wood. But Grommetik had been close enough to see the old wooden structure. The mechanical figure made its way slowly to the barn, maneuvering its way thorugh the old wooden doors. As it moved further into the darkness, it heard a small noise coming from the other side of the room. The tik-tok servent hid itself within the shadows, waiting. It saw a larger shadow seem to rise from the floor, look around, and stride to the door. Grommetik couldn't make out any of the person's features, for it was swarthed in a long black cloak. Grommetik waited until the figure had disappeared before coming out in the open. But already the strange person was gone.

Grommetik made sure that it would remember to tell its master of the strange figure and headed back towards the Emerald City along the yellow brick road.

**The Master...**

Within the Emerald city, in a small house near the boundray of the city, a mysterious man waited. As he heard the four distinct knocks he had been waiting for, he stood gracefully, and went to the door. Into the room came Grommetik, his small tik-tok servant. As he closed the door his slender fingers locked and bolted it, ensuring that no one would burst in on the two. The man sat in his chair once more, folding his hands and waiting paitently to hear what the mechanical man would say.

The strange man listened with mild interest as Grommetik told of the progress on the Yellow Brick Road. But as it began to explain its adventure in the barn, the man sat up, intent. He stopped Grommetik many times, asking it to repeat something, or to try and remember any tiny detail of the strange figure it saw. After about half and hour of this, the man let Grommetik leave, he stood by his window, deep in thought.

_Who was the strange figure Grommetik saw?...Could it be possible that...after all this time...she wasn't really dead? _ The man shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. _No, that's impossible, there were wittnesses, the girl, that timid lion, the man of tin, and the other one...the scarecrow. But still..._ A strange, twisted smile appeared on the man's face.

_She was clever...she could not have been beaten as easily as everyone believes she was. No, she would have come up with a plan...and maybe she did. _The man leaned against the window sill, his eyes twinkling as his thoughts continued. _I will investigate this...figure...perhaps I still have a chance...if she is still alive...I WILL find her._

_**Ooooohhh! Spooky! I told you it was a short chapter. Don't worry, there's some long ones coming. Now I would like to send a shout out of thanks to those who have reviewed. (Both reviewers of this story, Look To the Western Sky, and my first fan fic, A Change In the Weather):**_

_**Blah65-thank you! I thought it fitting the Nessa would think if Elphaba just before she died.**_

_**AniMes18-Thank you so much! I'm glad that I could portray Nessa in so many ways!**_

_**zafr0-thank you for the three great reviews, as you can see the mysterious figure is being developed, thankies!**_

_**elphaba-thropp-We now know who it was watching Elphaba, but now we have another mysterious person to figure out! More cliffies on the way!**_

_**tinkerbellx2-Thank you! I tried to get inside every character's head, and write out what I think they would be feeling. I'm gald that I've accomplished that!**_

_**Thanks to all! Please R&R if you haven't already! Thankies! **_


	5. Glinda

_**And now...back to Glinda! Don't worry, we'll be seeing more of the mysterious man, but he won't be explaied quite as quickly as Grommetik was. **_

**Chapter 5: Glinda**

The sun shone brightly though the arched window in Glinda's room. The Good Witch of the North was sitting at her vanity, staring at her reflection. She had not forgotten the nightmare from the night before. As she brushed her hair, she thought once more about Elphaba. She smiled as she remembered the night at Shiz when she had decided to give Elphie a makeover. She wasn't sure if she had helped her or not, but it had been fun. And in the end, Elphaba had looked...well...pretty. Glinda grinned as she recalled the green girl's face as she had looked at herself in Glinda's mirror. She had looked disbelieving, as if she could not comprehend that she could look pretty.

Glinda hadn't wanted to admit it then, but she had actually been a tiny bit jealous of Elphaba's uniqueness. Not just in her skin color, though that would have been enough for Elphie. But Elphaba had a personality all her own, she didn't let her green skin tone hold her back. Fiyero had once said "she doesn't give a twig what everyone thinks of her." And it had been true, Elphaba had not cared what others thought, even though Glinda had a suspicion that deep down, Elphaba did care.

Nessarose had once told Glinda that Elphaba hadn't been loved, even at home. She told Glinda that when the two sisters had arrived at Shiz, their father had given Nessa those beautiful jewled shoes, and had not given Elphaba anything. Glinda's heart had just about broken. Elphaba did not like to be touched, and was unaccustomed to being praised or recognized. Glinda couldn't imagine what life must have been like for her, to not know what it was like to be truly loved. Glinda wiped away a tear, standing up and trying to shake thoughts of her friend from her head. Wishing would not bring Elphaba back, and Glinda had to come to terms with that.

Glinda looked at herself once more in her full length mirror. The baby blue suit dress she had on accenuated her eyes and brought out the light tone of her skin. With a smile of approval at her reflection she left her room, and headed outisde into the hustle and bustle of the Emerald City. Glinda gazed around at all the large buildings and the fine archetechture on some of the older structures. No matter how many times she walked though the city, it would always amaze her. In the Upper Uplands, where her home was, there were not buildings near as tall as the ones here. Oh it was a fine city and all, her home, but it was nothing compared to the magnificence and splendor of the Emerald City.

Of course, not everything in the city was quite as spectacular as it first appeared. The Wonderul Wizard of Oz had seemed harmless, but he had been aligning himself with Madame Morrible, and had nearly wrought destruction on all of Oz. Elphaba had helped in stopping him, although she had paid with her life. Glinda cursed herself inwardly, why, why did she have to give that Dorothy girl those wretched shoes! That was the reason Elphaba had gone after the girl, she wanted Nessa's shoes, the only scrap left of her father's love, even it wasn't meant for her, Elphaba watned those shoes.

Glinda forced the thoughts from her mind as a few people stopped to talk to her. She immediately put forth her bubbly and energetic facade, making quaint conversation. Every day, Glinda had to pretend that she, like everyone else in Oz, was overjoyed at the "wicked witch's" demise. And every day she became sadder and sadder, for so very few people knew what kind of person Elphaba was.

Glinda was headed for the outskirts of the city, stopping only to buy a small buquet of flowers, she headed off towards her destination. The wind had died down, and the sun was still shining brightly when Glinda found what she was looking for. There, in the middle of a small, empty field, stood a gravestone. The inscription read:

**Nessarose Tropp**

**beloved daughter, and friend**

**Little did she know**

**a house would bring her untimely end.**

Glinda knelt down beside the grave, placing the buquet on the dirt in front of the stone.

"Nessa...I guess you finally found what was on the other side. I hope it is everything you dreamed it would be." Glinda then reached behind her ear and brought out a tiny, pink rose. This she laid beside the flowers for Nessa, willing herself not to cry again.

"Elphie...you always did want to go out in style didn't you? Well...I guess you've outdone us all, you insufferable dolt." But she smiled as she said it, remembering placing a similar pink flower in Elphaba's hair, excitedly exclaiming "ooh! Pink goes good with green!"

"Miss Glinda...I didn't expect to see you here." Glinda whirled around, startled, she hadn't heard anyone approaching.

"Boq...what a surprise, I thought you'd gone off on another adventure somewhere, now that you have a heart and all." The Tin woodsman stood before her, studing her intently. To be honest, Glinda hadn't even thougt of what had happened to Boq after Elphaba had died, she had been too upset. She knew that he had somehow been turned into tin, but she had never really inquiered as to the whole story.

"Yes well, I seem to have nowhere to go at the momment. And you? I suspected you would be holed up in a large office somewhere, seeing to all of the needs of Oz."

Glinda stood, brushing the dirt off of her dress. She didn't feel very comfortable around Boq, though she couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was because he had a crush on her when they were at school, but that had only been a bit of puppy love, nothing serious, or so she thought.

"Well, normally I would, but I needed some fresh air. I decided to come here, I haven't really paid my respects to Nessa properly since the tornado."

"There's really no need, she was a dictator, plain and simple. She brought destruction and relocation with her wherever she struck. Particularly Munchkinland. There were very few who supported her you know, and even fewer who were sad to see her come to an end. Why should you of all people be mourning her? She was Wicked Glinda."

"She was our friend Boq, don't you remember? At Shiz, we were all friends, you, me, Nessa and...and Elphaba" It bothered Glinda the way Boq had talked about Nessa. Of course Nessa had gotten out of hand, but that didn't change the fact that they had all once been comrades.

Now Boq snorted, a look close to disgust on his face as he came closer to Glinda. "Elphaba...now there's the real troublemaker. She was more Wicked than Nessarose ever was. Always thinking up some wild plan to free some Animal or other, never caring what other people thought or did. And in the end it destroyed her. Who would have thought...a young girl from Kansas killing the Wicked Witch of The West? Elphaba was in over her head, she tried to do too much in too little time. And in the process made me what I am."

Glinda gave him an icy glare. She did not like the way this conversation was going. But she didn't say anything, what could she say? She had promised Elphie just before she had died that she would not try to clear her name. Boq had beleived everything that Madame Morrible and Wizard had made the rest of Oz believe. Glinda found it hard to accept how easily he had given in to all the lies.

"Yes well, who knows why some people do what they do? Now if you'll excuse me Boq, I need to get back to the Emerald City, I have some business to attend to." She thought she saw a flicker of annoyance and anger flash across Boq's tin face, but then he simply gave her a smalll smile.

"Of course Miss Glinda, I shant keep you from your duties." He gave her a slight bow, and she nodded in return to him. As she walked away from the Tin Man, she could feel Boq's eyes on her, following her every move.

Finally Glinda reached her room inside what used to be the Wizard's palace. She breathed a shaky sigh of relief. The encounter with Boq had unnerved her. He had spoked so easily about his feelings about Elphaba and Nessarose, as if he had never been their friend, only their enemy. Did he truly hate them so much for what had happened to him? Or was it one of the Wizard's tricks, still accomplishing its task after all this time?

_**So, now we know what Boq thinks about all of this. Not much of a cliffie, but I tried. Please R&R!**_


	6. Boq

_**Thanks to all who are reviewing! It helps a lot! I apologize for any spelling errors I may make, I don't always catch them all. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 6: Boq**

The Tin Man watched as Glinda, the Good Witch of The North walked away from him, as she always had. Boq clenched his fists, willing himself to calm down. He couldn't help remembering his school days, when he had been nothing but a boy, a boy in love with the then Galinda Upland. Even after they had grown up, he had still been in love with Glinda. Now, after all this time and everything that had happened, he still thought that she was the most beautiful woman in all of Oz. And still, she rejected him, she had always rejected him, even before he had become...well...the monster he was now.

Boq glared down at the Nessarose's gravestone. He was not sorry for the things he had said about her, or about Elphaba, they were no longer people he knew. But people he used to know. He remembered at school the sweet, innocent Nessarose, trying to get through life without people feeling sorry for her because she was crippled. He remembered Elphaba too, quiet, strong willed Elphaba. She had never given a second thought to what anyone else in Shiz had thought or said about her. She was who she was, and nothing could ever change that.

Boq smiled despite himself, they had all been good friends, had always been there for each other. But then Elphaba had left them, abandoned her own sister to go and make a new life for herself. That's when everything had changed. They had drifted apart, Glinda had developed a relationship of some kind with the winkie prince Fiyero, and Boq...well Nessa had imprisioned Boq in her home...trying to force him to love her.

Boq stared down at his silver hands, clenching them into fists once more. They had changed, Nessa and Elphaba, together they had ruined him. Boq turned quickly on his heel and headed into the city once more, willing himself to calm down. It would do no good to dwell on the past, they were dead, both of them, and that was that.

Then that strange girl had come...in the flying house...what was her name? Dorothy that was it, and that annoying dog. She had helped them rid all of Oz of both Wicked Witches, and in the process had helped Boq get his heart back. After Dorothy had left, Boq had built a small house near the outskirts of the Emerald City, having nowhere else to go. The Lion had gone back into the wilderness, ready to test his newfound courage. And the Scarecrow? Well,...Boq really didn't know what had happened to the Scarecrow, he had disappeared the same night that The Wicked Witch of The West was destroyed. He hadn't found that odd until just now. _He didn't even stay to celebrate...he just...disappeared. _

As he opened his front door he noticed a small, white envelope lying on the floor. Curious, Boq picked it up, making a mental reminder to oil himself before too long, or he wouldn't be able to move at all. He opened the envelope, unfolding a piece of thick, white paper. There were a few words written in bold, block lettering in the middle of the paper.

Water does not clense all

meet me in the forest tomorrow at midnight

she may be among us still

It was not signed. Boq did not understand the cryptic message at first. But as he stared at the first line, the meaning became clear to him. His hand shook as the realization set in, the paper floating gently to the floor. This was something he had not expected, something he had never even considered. But now that he thought about it...he wondered why he did not question it in the first place. How could something as simple as a bucked of water have destroyed someone as powerful as she? He faintly recalled Elphaba being alergic to water or somthing back at Shiz...but this...Boq could not comprehend the fact that Elphaba might be alive. He did not know who had sent him the letter, but he was going to meet him. Even if it was not true...this person must have known Elphaba somehow...or at least known of her. But who hadn't heard of the Wicked Witch of the West?

The next night, just before midnight, Boq headed into the Great Gillikin Forest, the moon shining errily through the trees. There was not a sound to be heard, and all was still inside the wood. Boq had recieved another note that morning, telling him to walk as far as the large clearing about a quarter of the way into the forest from his house. As Boq stepped into the open patch of grass, he looked around anxiously for the person who had sent him the notes. But there was no one there, at least not yet.

The moonlight glinted off his tin body, as his ears picked up the sound of footsteps in the grass. He turned around, and there, leaning against a small tree, was the outline of a man. He was tall, medium build it seemed like, Boq couldn't really tell, as the man was wearing a cloak that covered his face.

"Who are you?" Boq asked, for the first time beginning to feel uneasy about this meeting. His hand gripped his axe at his side.

The stranger held up his hand, "don't worry, I'm not going to harm you. I merely want to discuss someone...a someone that holds a great meaning to both you and I." As the man moved forward a few strides, Boq relaxed his hold on his axe. "I believe that you were...aquainted with The Wicked Witch of the West at one time...am I right?"

"It depends who wants to know."

" That is not important...what is important is that fact that the Witch might have been spotted a few days ago."

"What do you mean? She died...I saw her melt before my own eyes." For some reason this man made Boq uncomfortable, and to his annoyance he found himself ready to defend Elphaba from this strange man.

"Do not always believe what you see...I have a small tik-tok servent, who, a few days ago, informed me of seeing a strange cloaked figure in an abandoned barn...near a rural part of the Yellow Brick Road. At first I thought nothing of it but then...oh then I started to think. How is it, that a young girl of no more than tweleve was able to vanquish The Wicked Witch when all of Oz could not stop her? And...I found it rather odd that all it took...was a sort of...'babtismal splash' if I may? Now, I understand that The Witch once attended school at Shiz University, the same year as yourself. Yes, I know who you are...I was informed of your...accident. Another occurance of the Witch's I suppose?"

Boq nodded shortly. "Yes...it was her spell that caused me to be...this." Boq leaned his arm against a nearby tree, thinking on the man's words. "I've been wondering the same thing. Why could a mere child accomplish something that not even the Wizard could complete?"

"Yes...why?...I can not be sure that it was indeed The Witch that Grommetik saw...but I have a hunch that it very well could be. I don't know yet where she could be hiding, but I am determined to find out as much as I can. I understand that she also knew The Good Witch of the North?"

"Yes...she knew Glinda...they were...well I guess you could say friends of a sort at school. They were roomates at least, though in the beginning neither of them were too happy about that."

"Indeed. Well, before long I shall need to have a chat with miss Upland...and see if she knows anything about The Witch possibly surviving her little drenching. I asked you here tonight to help me. I know that you have a grudge against the Witch, who doesn't? But I can see it in your eyes, you hate her for what she has done to you. If she were truly alive, would you go looking for her? To see that she pays for her actions?"

Boq hesitated for a moment. "Yes"

"I need you to keep your eyes and ears open. Listen for any information that may help to discover what really happened to our Wicked Witch." The man turned and bean walking back in the direction that he had come. "Do not try to find me...I will come to you. Remember...no piece of information is insignifficant...do not let any scrap of gossip you hear go by you unnoticed. I will also contact your Lion as well, though I trust you to try and find out as much as you can. I am depending on you. Do not let me down." And with those words the man was gone.

_**Mwahahahah! The plot thickens! Please R&R!**_


	7. Elphaba

_**Thanks to all who have reviewed! I thought it was high time for another Elphaba chapter! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 7: Elphaba**

Elphaba had decided to wait at least a week and a half before going back to see Glinda for the last time. Annoyingly, that week it had started to rain, and she had to be confined within Kiamo Ko. Fiyero left every now and then to hunt for food, leaving Elphaba alone in the castle. Her fingers twitched nervously, and she was constantly pacing, eager for something, anything to occupy her time.

Finally, after a morning of light showers, the clouds broke, and the sun appeared. Not long after this, Fiyero entered the room, a worried expression on his straw face. He went straight to Elphaba, his worry mirrored in her face.

"Fiyero, what's wrong?" Elphaba knew it had to be serious when Fiyero didn't say anything. "Fiyero please, what happened?"

He released a long sigh, then turned to look at her.

"Elphaba, do you remember, when we were at Shiz, that horrible little tik-tok thing that Madame Morrible owned?"

"Grommetik? Yes, the wretched thing, it almost served as another Madame Morrible when she wasn't around. I would have liked to give it a good kick."

"I think I saw it today. I'm not sure...but I heard a noise while I was in the forest. I looked into a small clearing, and I saw a brass machine thing seeming to survey the area. I would have thought nothing of it, but then I heard someone call out to it. A man, though I never did see where he was. I circled around to try and find them, but they had disappeared. It made me uneasy, they way they were investigating that spot. If they were to find Kiamo Ko..."

Elphaba was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"We need to keep a lookout on the area surrounding Kiamo Ko. I don't want them to stumble onto it without us knowing. We'll have to find somewhere else to go to, we can't stay here forever. Is there anywhere else we could go?"

Fiyero shook his head in frustration.

"No, at least not that I know of. This was the only place I could think of where we could be even remotely safe."

"That's what I was afraid of. We can't go back to Colwen Grounds, the Munchkins probably took control of the mansion after Nessa died. It wouldn't be a good idea to try and travel to my old house. It has either been sold to someone, or it would probably be one of the frist places that people would look for us."

"We'll just have to figure it out when the time comes. We could try and move to the far outskirts of Oz. As far away from the Emerald City as we could get. We would still need to hide, all of Oz knows about you, or knows what the Wizard advertised about you."

"I suppose that's all we can do for now. But I hate not having a plan beforehand. It's so easy to go wrong, and then we could both be killed."

"We'll just have to take that chance. I don't see what else we could possibly do."

Elphaba sighed, Fiyero was right, but she still felt uneasy about blundering into all of this. She gazed out the window, staring at the forest, wondering if whoever owned Grommetik was there, waiting for them to fall into his grasp.

About four days later, Elphaba was preparing for her final journey into the Emerald City. Perhaps one day, if things changed in Oz...she would see Glinda again, but it was simply too dangerous for her to continue sneaking into the city. Elphaba sighed as she wrapped her cloak around her. No matter how much Glinda had annoyed her in their school days, she was still the best friend that Elphaba had ever had, and she would never forget her.

Fiyero came into the room, placing a hand on her shoulder as if he knew what she were thinking.

"Don't worry, It's Glinda's time now, she can handle things." Elphaba placed her hand on top of Fiyero's as he was speaking, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"I hope so." She picked up her hat and her broom, starting for the secret door in the stairway. "Fiyero...if something were to happen, here or in the Emerald City, don't try and come after me."

"But..."

"I have already caused enough problems for other people! Please don't risk your life just to save mine." She paused, looking him full in the face. She put on a stony expression, carefull to hide the tumult of emotions threatening to burst out of her. "If anything happens, I will find a solution on my own." Then, seeing his defeated expression, she softed a little, her eyes locking with his. "I almost lost you once, I will not lose you again on account of my actions." She then pushed the secret lever, opening the door. She had ducked into the tunnel, nearly swallowed by the darkness when she stopped. "Fiyero...I love you."

"I love you Elphaba, please be careful, don't take any chances." She nodded slightly, then disappeared into the night.

After the long navigation through the secret tunnels, Elphaba emerged in the tiny alleyway beside her hidden room. Pulling her cloak tightly over her face she wound her way though the streets, taking care to steer clear of as many people as possible.

As she turned a corner onto a road leading to Glinda's house, she saw a familiar figure making his way through the streets. Elphaba's breath caught in her throat and she clutched her cloak even more tightly around her. The Tim Man was walking towards her, and Elphaba didn't want to think what would happen if she were to be discovered. He passed extremely close to her, his hard shoulder bumbing Elphaba's. She ducked her head and continued down the street, seeing Boq glance backward at her from the corner of her eye.

Breathing a sigh of relief when she was not followed, Elphaba hurried on towards the large castle-like structure that Glinda The Good lived in. Elphaba stopped before the entrance, hiding in the shadows, and began muttering a few words. She paused, then went inside. Everyone inside had been put to sleep by her spell. Elphaba hurried up the now familiar stair case, her footsteps falling lightly on the carpeted floor.

Quietly Elphaba entered Glinda's room, carefully closing the door behind her. Glinda had been sitting on her bed, looking at something. As Elphaba crept closer, she saw a familiar green glass bottle laying on the bedspread. It had belonged to her mother, and had been the only item of hers that Elphaba had owned.

Elphaba picked up the small bottle, her emerald fingers making a pretty compliment to the green glass. Elphaba remembered leaving it behind for Glinda to find. She hadn't needed it anymore, it had been her last tie to her old life, and Elphaba had finally let it go. She barely remembered her mother, but from what she'd been told by Nanny, her mother hadn't exactly been a role model.

Elphaba set the bottle on the bed again, glancing up at Glinda. She was sprawled on top of the bed, her golden curls splayed around her head like a halo. Elphaba grinned, Glinda always managed to look made up no matter what.

"Glinda...you really haven't changed much have you?" Elphaba whispered, standing up and walking to a side table on the opposite side of the room. "I came to tell you that I'm leaving...and I won't be coming back. There's been some...trouble, and I feel that it's time for me to go." Elphaba felt tears threatening to overflow, and she stubbornly fought to hold them back.

"You know...you're a lot stronger than you think you are. I never told you but you helped me survive my time at Shiz, no matter how annoying you could get. You saw me for who I was...and I thank you for that. You...you really are the best friend I've ever had."

At that moment, Elphaba heard Glinda groan. Her eyes going wide, Elphaba turned to see Glinda stirring on the bed. At the same time she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Elphaba hurried into Glinda's spacious closet, closing the doors until just a tiny slit was left for her to see through. Elphaba didn't have time to wonder how her spell had been broken, because just then a strange man she had never seen before walked into the room.

As he walked in, Glinda sat up, her eyes flying open. Whe she saw the stranger she quickly stood, brushing herself off trying to primp in what little time she had. Elphaba noticed that Glinda had quikly hidden the green bottle under her pillow, and Elphaba grinned. Glinda looked at the man and batted her eyes a little.

"My, what a surprise! I wasn't expecting company, what can I do for you Mr...?"

"My name is not important, I have matters much more pressing than formalities." Elphaba saw the man walk slowly towards Glinda's window, but he got out of Elphaba's view before he reachd the window.

"I have a few questions I would like to ask you about a certain,...aquaintance you had when you were at Shiz University."

"Oh?" Glinda's voice sounded just the tiniest bit nervous to Elphaba, and Elphaba held her breath, her heart pounding against her rib cage. This did not sound good. "I'm not sure I can be of much help, I had many, many aquaintances at school, why I even..."

"You would remember this aquaintance, she would be impossible to forget."

"O...oh?...How so?"

"She was green." Elphaba watched as Glinda's eyes grew wide, and her mouth hung open for a split second.

"Oh,... yes, green from envy. There were many of that kind at Shiz, it's very trying being so popular..."

"You know who I'm talking about Glinda! Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of The West!" The man was shouting now.

Elphaba clapped her hand over her mouth, willing herself not the breathe. In the other room she saw Glinda doing much the same thing.

"Oh! That...one...well,...yes I-I do remember her, somewhat. But we never really knew each other you see, we weren't exactly...compatible, I suppose you could say."

"I've been told that you were friends."

"Well...we were...yes we were friends, in a way...but I really don't see how this is going to..."

"I need you to tell me everything that you know about Elphaba, down the smallest detail."

"But why?...Elphaba's dead,...she was melted..."  
"I have reason to believe otherwise." As the strange man said this, Elphaba's eyes went wide, and she clutched her chest, willing herself to breathe normally. Fiyero had been right...someone had found out about them, or at least about her. Why had her sleeping spell worn off? Was it because of this man? Who was he?

"Wh...what do you mean? I saw her with my own eyes sir."

"I will not ask you again...what do you know about the Wicked Witch?" The man's voice was icy as he glared at Glinda.

"There's not much to tell,...she was moody, thoughtful, always suspecting a conspiricy behind every corner. She had an odd alergy to water...and she had a very sad home life. I don't see how any of that could help you."

"You wouldn't happen to remember a certain...book she had do you?"

"A...a book? What kind of book?"

"A Gimmerie."

"N...no...I mean, she did have one...but I don't know what happened to it. I suspect it was destroyed, or shut away somewhere."

Elphaba watched as the man came within an inch of Glinda's face, his eyes boring into hers.

"You had better not be lying to me...as it is I don't suspect that you've told me everything you know. I don't think that your friend ever died, and I am going to find her. If you refuse to cooperate, that's your problem." He strode the door, opening it. "Oh, and Miss Glinda." He puased in the doorway, "This conversation is not over...I will find you again too."

The door closed, a faint click being the only sound that echoed throughout the silent room. Elphaba watched as Glinda sank to her knees, her face burried in her hands. Elphaba slowly unclenched her fists, staring at the small cuts in her palms from her fingernails.

"It can't be true...it can't be." Glinda's voice was barely above a whisper. "She can't be alive...she would have found a way to let me know...she would have told me...oh Elphie."

Elphaba shook her head sadly.

"I can't Glinda...if only you understood." For the rest of the night Elphaba remained there, with only a few feet between her and her best friend, yet it seemed as though they were miles apart.

**_Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up. I haven't had much time to write. But I'll try and be quicker on the next few chapters. _**


	8. Glinda

_**Sorry everyone! I've been busy with school, and other activities that I haven't had much time to update. I will try my very best to update as soon as I can! I apologize once again! But hey, here's another Glinda chapter as a reward! enjoy!**_

**Chapter 8: Glinda**

The strange man's words rang over and over again inside Glinda's mind.

"_I don't think that your friend ever died." _

"Elphaba..." the word came out strained as Glinda tried to get a hold of her emotions. Why would she lie to her like that? If Elphaba had really truly lived, why had she not found some way to let Glinda know? She was her best friend for the love of Oz! The man had to be wrong, he had to be, Elphaba wouldn't do that her...she wouldn't...

"But she could." Glinda barely heard herself whisper as she pulled herself up onto the edge of the bed. It was true, if Elphaba believed strongly enough in something, she would do anything in order not to jepordize that belief. But Glinda couldn't believe that something this important...if Elphaba were alive, would be kept a secret from Glidna.

She looked down at the small glass bottle on her bed, recalling the first time she had seen it...at Shiz...

_It was their first night as roomates, and neither girl was happy about the situation. Madame Morrible had mistakenly assumed Glinda would room with this...green girl...Elphaba. Both had loathed the other with a passion. Glinda had unpacked her things in a huffy kind of silence, refusing to look at her new roomie. Elphaba had acted just about the same way, although she was done unpacking much sooner than Glinda. Glinda just couldn't find room for everything she had brought. She took up her large closet, one side of the chest of drawers, and a few hangers in the cubbord in the corner of the room. All this Elphaba had were a few simple frocks, some black boots, and a tiny bag of items from home. _

_They had started to get ready for bed, Glinda smirking a bit at the green girl's simple navy sleeping gown. Glinda had adorned herself in a very frilly, very pink nightgown, with a hair ribbon to match. She watched as Elphaba rolled her eyes at this display of sleepwear. _

_"And what, may I ask, is wrong with this nightgown?" Glinda had asked, finally breaking the silence that had lingered over them since they had been assigned the room. _

_"Nothing...if you like looking like a giant pink muffin." _

_Glinda had fumed, fire in her eyes._

_"I'll have you know that this is all the rage this season. Sleep apareal has come a long way in a short amount of time."_

_Elphaba had simply snuffed at her explination, pulling her long black hair into a tight braid. _

_"But, then again, I suppose you wouldn't know anything of what's in style now would you?" Glinda had said, eyeing Elphaba's frocks._

_"No..." she had replied quietly, "I suppose not." _

_Glinda had felt just a tinsy bit bad then about she had said. But she couldn't take her words back, so she simply turned to her vanity, pulling a brush through her shiny blonde locks. _

_Around eleven o'clock, the lights in the dorm went out, and the girls crawled into bed. Glinda could still see fairly well by the bright moonlight pouring into the room. She had been attempting to find a comfortable position on her pillow when she glacned over at Elphaba's bed. There, silloheted in the light of the moon, was Elphaba, seeming to be staring at something in her hands. As Glinda peered closer, she saw the light play over a small glass bottle, no bigger than Elphaba's fist. The bottle was a slightly darker shade of green than Elphaba's fingers, the wide base tapering up to a slender neck stopped with a cork. _

_Elphaba must have felt Glinda's eyes on her because she glanced over at Glinda's bed, then quickly shoved the strange green bottle under her pillow, turning to face the wall. Glinda stared at her back for a moment, then turned and faced the opposite wall, feeling slightly curious about the bottle. What was it for, and why did Elphaba keep it under pillow? After that night, Elphaba was careful not to let Glinda find the green bottle, and Glinda suspected that she carried it with her wherever she went. _

Glinda smiled at the memory. Later that year, after a party at the Ozdust Ballroom, she had asked Elphaba about the green bottle. All that her friend would tell her was that it had belonged to her mother, the only item of hers that Elphaba owned. Elphaba had tried to keep that a secret from Glinda, could it be possible that she really was alive somewhere?

Glinda felt a stir of anger first at Elphaba, then at herself. Surely if Elphaba was alive, and had not told Glinda, it was for her own good. And if Elphie really was alive, that strange man meant trouble. Glinda was glad that she had not told the man anything that could help him in his search. Glinda closed her eyes, tears trickling through them again.

She had no way of knowing for sure weather Elphaba was alive or not. That became the worst fact to Glinda, because now she didn't know what to do. If Elphaba was alive, Glinda should do everything within her power to keep that man away from wherever Elphaba may have disappeared to. But if Elphaba was really dead, then there was no point in keeping an eye on that man. He would only search and search and never find anything.

"Elphaba...are you really still out there? I don't know what to do to help you if you are...I don't even know if you are really alive or not." Glinda's emotions were beginning to overwhelm her. All the anger, confusion, sadness, and hope began to swell throughout her brain, until she wasn't sure how she should feel or what she should do. Glinda looked again at the small bottle, a shadow of a smile creeping into her face. She put the small bottle underneath her pillow, then looked around the room.

Something felt different in the room, but Glinda couldn't tell what. It was not a difference made from the visit by the strange man, it was...almost familiar...as if from something that had happened long ago that Glinda had just now remembered. Glinda shook her head and went to her chest, telling herself to get a grip on herself, and to come back to the here and now of the real world. As she took out the Grimmerie from its hiding place, she quickly closed her blinds, not knowing if the man could see her from outside of not.

"I need somewhere else to hide this...a place where no one will find it." She seemed to remember a small space in the back of her closet that would make a good hiding place. She headed towards the closet doors, her hand outstreached to pull it open. Then Glinda stopped,

"No...they would look there first." She sighed and suddenly remembered some loose floorboards under her bed. She hurried over and shoved the frame of the bed over, grunting with the effort. It took her a second to find the floorboard that was loose. Using a long, flat rod, she pried up that board, and two others, making just enough room for the Grimmerie. Glinda put the book underneath the floor, then pushed the boards back into place, stamping on them with her feet. Standing back, Glinda smiled at her handiwork. From here you couldn't even tell that the floorboards were loose.

As she was pushing the bed back into place she wondered how that man had found out all that information about herself and Elphaba. He had known that they had gone to school together, had become friends, and he knew Elphaba's real name. After the Wizard and Madame Morrible had started spreading all the rumors about The Wicked Witch of The West, that was all that she was known as. Eventually, everyone forgot who she had been, that Elphaba had a life before she became "wicked".

"Who was he?" Glinda asked herself, suddenly feeling unnerved with how much information the man had in his possession.

_ "I will find you again too." _

Did that mean he had spies as well? How could he know where Glinda would be so he could contact her again? Glinda resigned herself not to give him any more information on Elphaba. Even if Elphaba was dead, Glinda was not going to further this man's claim.

Suddenly a wave of exhaustion hit Glinda like a ton of bricks. She staggered over to her bed, sinking down on and snuggling under her covers. This happened every month or so, a sudden feeling of tiredness would come over her, and she would have to lie down. As Glinda's eyes fluttered closed, she felt the green bottle under her pillow, and smiled.

While she slept, Glinda had a wonderful dream. She dreamed the Elphaba had been there, in her room with her. She had seen her come over to the bed, pull the covers up over Glinda, her green skin standing out against the pale walls in the room.

"Don't worry" Elphaba had whispered, almost to herself. "He won't find me...he will never find me." Elphaba had walked towards the door, resting her hand on the wall before opening the door and preparaing to leave. "Maybe someday...we'll be together again. Thank you Glinda...for everything." Glinda watched in her dream as Elphaba had stepped through the door, pulling a dark cloak over her head, and disappeared like smoke.

_**There you go! Something to tide you over. Tell me what you think of the story so far! Please R&R!**_


	9. Elphaba

_**I apologize again for the spelling errors I may make. My compy doesn't have spell-check, so sometimes I don't notice when I misspell something. I will try and be better at that in the future! And now...back to Elphaba!**_

**Chapter 9: Elphaba**

Elphaba could hardly bear to see her friend in so much pain. She watched from the closet as Glinda sat on the bed, looking down at the small glass bottle. Elphaba desperately wanted to burst from her hiding place, to tell Glinda that she was alive, and explain why she had lied. But that was too dangerous, for both of them, especially now with that man trying to find Elphaba.

Elphaba watched as Glinda went and got the Grimmerie, grateful that she had not told the man where it had been hidden. Glinda paused for a moment, looking around, then, to Elphaba's horror, began to walk towards the closet where she was hiding. Elphaba scrambled backward, nearly choking on all the poofy dresses and skirts filling the back of the closet. Elphaba tried desperately to hide beind a rather large blue dress, knowing full well that if Glinda were to open the closet doors, she would see her. Elphaba heard Glinda's footsteps stop just outside the door, could just see her outstreached hand reaching for the handle. She seemed to change her mind, and walked back towards the bed. Elphaba let out a sigh of relief, untangling herself from all of Glinda's clothes. Creeping forward, she saw Glinda prying up some floorboards underneath her bed.

Elphaba smiled to herself, Fiyero had been right, Glinda was smarter than Elphaba gave her credit for. Elphaba watched silently as Glinda hid the Grimmerie under the floorboards, pounding them back in place with her feet. She heard her whisper

"who was he?" and Elphaba nodded grimly. She was wondering the same thing, who had been that mysterious man, and how had he known so much about them? As Glinda seemed to be pondering something, Elphaba decided that it was time for her to leave, she had been away from Kiamo Ko much too long, Fiyero was bound to be worrying about her. Elphaba chanted the familiar words under her breath, hoping that the strange man hadn't done anything that would continue to cancel out her spells. To her relief, Elphaba saw Glinda sag, moving slowly to her bed and lying down. Elphaba saw, just before Glinda's body went limp, Glinda reach under her pillow and smile. Elphaba knew that she had put the bottle there, and couldn't help but grin. When Elphaba was sure Glinda was asleep, she came out into the open.

Streatching her tired muscles, Elphaba looked over at her friend. This would probably be the last time she would see her, maybe forever. Although she hoped desperately that someday she would be able to return to the Emerald City, Elphaba could not forget that she might never come back. Elphaba walked over to the bed, pulling the covers up over Glinda, her friend sighed a little in her sleep, her eyes fluttering. Elphaba stood straight, trying not to let any of the emotions she was feeling overwhelm her. "Don't worry," she whispered, "he won't find me...he will never find me." Elphaba felt that she was saying the words not only to soothe Glinda's fears, but to soothe her own as well. She turned, pullling her cloak tighter around her, she stopped just before the door, placing her palm on the wall. Her emerald skin stood out against the stark white of the walls. She inclined her head towards Glinda again, trying to push the thought of never seeing her again far from her mind.

"Maybe someday...we'll be together again. Thank you Glinda...for everything." Elphaba felt a lump start to rise in her throat, and she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill over. In one fluid motion, she pulled her cloak up over her head, opened the door, and left.

Once outside, Elphaba paused before she started her journey down the long tunnels to the barn. No matter what happened, she would always remember Glinda, her first real friend. Elphaba worried that the man might harm her, and made a resolution that once she was back at Kiamo Ko, she and Fiyero would leave. They would go as far away from here as they could, and if that man followed them, at least he would be away from Glinda. Elphaba was about to duck into the hidden room when she heard footsteps coming up the alleyway. Panicked, Elphaba looked frantically for a place to hide. She didn't have time to open the secret doorway, she could make out a figure walking stiffly in her direction. Elphaba saw a pile of old crates in a corner, and ducked behind them just as the figure reached the end of the alley. Peering out, Elphaba saw the faint light in the alley glint off a silver body.

"Boq..." she whispered to herself. The Tin Man looked around anxiously, as if he were waiting for something. Or someone. Soon, more footsteps sounded down the alley, and Elphaba peered out curiously from behind the crates. It was a tall figure, wraped in a cloak, his face hidden in shadow. He paused, looking at Boq, waiting. Boq finally spoke, and Elphaba thoght she heard a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Did you find anything out? What did she tell you?" Boq asked, watching the strange figure walk closer to him, a small span of silence streaching between them before the man spoke.

"Nothing, it seems that Miss Glinda was less helpful than you led me to believe." Elphaba stiffled a gasp as she realized that this was the man who had questioned Glinda in her room.

"I thought you said that she could help me!" the man yelled suddenly.

"She can! Maybe she was just...flustered...or confused or...you didn't frighten her did you?" Elphaba could sense the concern in Boq's voice, and suspected that he still had feelings for Glinda, after all these years.

"Not more than I had to. She refused to give me a straight answer, didn't think it mattered since she believes that the Witch is dead. I asked her about the Grimmerie as well. She told me that she had no idea what had happened to it, but I suspect she was not being honest with me. That's why I asked you to meet me here. I had rather thought that she might be...difficult to deal with."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to find her, to question her. Not an interrogation mind you, just a simple chat about the old days. I understand that you were also an aquaintance of hers?"

"Yes...an aquaintance." Boq replied quietly.

"Find out everything you can about the Witch, who else, if anyone, was her friend. Places they liked to visit, things they liked to do, that sort of thing. Also, see what you can find out about the Grimmerie. I have a feeling that Miss Upland knows exactly where it is, and I will not rest until I have that book. Am I understood?"

It seemed as though Boq hesitated for an instant before answering.

"Understood."

"Good, I have sent Grommetik on a little errand. Nothing that you need to worry about, but I thought it was time to have a little reunion of sorts. No worry, you will be informed soon enough."

Boq nodded, and the man turned to leave.

"And Boq, I am not a paitent man. Talk to Glinda soon, I will find you again for you to tell me what you learn." With those words, the man walked out of the alley, and disappeared. Elphaba watched as Boq stared after him for a moment, hardly daring to breathe as the Tin Man slung his axe onto his shoulder.

"I think it is time to pay Miss Glinda a visit...today." He walked away down the alley, a soft squeaking sound accompianing him along the way. Elphaba waited a full ten minuntes before moving. She stood, staying the shadows, her mind reeling about the conversation she had just heard. She had to stay and find out what Glinda would tell Boq. She couldn't go back to Kiamo Ko, there wouldn't be time to get back to the city to spy on Glinda.

"Sorry Fiyero, I guess you'll just have to wait until I can make it back to you." Elphaba hoped that he would keep his promise and not try and come after her. If the strange man got a hold of Fiyero, she wasn't sure what she would do.

As the sun began to rise slowly on the horizon, Elphaba pondered how she was going to keep an eye on Glinda so she could know the exact moment Boq showed up. She couldn't go back into the mansion, she couldn't keep the people asleep all day, and Boq would surely be suspicious of that. Elphaba decided to hide out by the small rose garden near the kitchens. From what she had managed to see during her visits, there was small secluded spot on the far corner of the garden that hardly anyone went to. There was an old shed that had been neglected standing there. It was well within the view of the front door, so it would give her a clear view of anyone who happened to come calling.

Elphaba pulled her cloak around her tightly, her heart racing. She had never stayed in the Emerald City past sunrise since her "melting" and she wasn't sure exactly how many people would be out and about. Taking a deep breath, Elphaba emerged from the alleyway, her steps quick and fluid.

There were more people filling the streets now that the sun was up. Elphaba kept bumping into people, and she had to be very cautious when moving through a particularly dense trong of people. Just as she had broken out of one such group, and had the gardens in her sight, Elphaba felt a hand on her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as she was turned around, making her cough before she could look up at the person who had stopped her.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? You can't go in there! That is Glinda the Good Witch's private gardens!" Elphaba looked down, praying that the man couldn' see her face. She couldn't just stand there, she had to answer him.

"Gardener," she grunted, in a low, unnatural voice. The man paused a moment, studing her. Elphaba's heart was thudding in her chest so hard she was sure he would hear it.

"All right, I guess old Tolin isn't feeling well today then?"

Elphaba nodded, then turned and continued on her way. When the man didn't follow her, she released the breath that she had been holding. Maybe this hadn't been such a smart idea. If she were caught, she would only make the strange man's job much easier. But she couldn't turn back now, she didn't dare try and go back the way she'd come, there were far too many people.

At last Elphaba reached the gardens. She hurried down the path, and after two wrong turns found the secluded corner she had been seeking. The old shed needed a repair, and badly. The paint had peeled off, the wood was rotting and the entire shed itself was leaning to one side. Elphaba hurried inside, closing the door behind her. There was a small round window up in the loft of the shed that would make a perfect hiding place. Elphaba climbed the rickedy ladder, as quiet as a cat.

The little window shed a small amount of light into the loft, and offered a perfect view of the front door of the castle. Elphaba settled herself close the window, pulling her hood down for a moment and leaning her head against the old wood. Now that she was past all the people, she felt more at ease about her plan. She would not try and get back home until darkness fell, she didn't think she would be as lucky sneaking around through all the people if she tried to back this afternoon. Fiyero would just have to wait another night. Elphaba smiled, wondering what he was doing. She knew he must be terribly worried about her, but she also felt that he would keep his promise to her, matter how long it took her to get back to Kiamo Ko.

Elphaba closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of the hay in the loft and feeling the sunlight on her legs. She hadn't slept in almost a day, and she was tired. But Elphaba forced herself to stay awake, if she didn't, she might miss Boq coming to talk to Glinda. Elphaba streatched her sore muscles, and peered out the window. A man sellling small wares was talking to the guard at the door. Elphaba sighed, wondering for the first time how she would be able to overhear Boq and Glinda once they met. Elphaba hoped that they would want to talk somewhere private, and perferrably, outside. If worse came to worse, Elphaba could try and sneak into the castle, through she dreaded that thought.

After about an hour of watching and waiting, Elphaba saw what she had been waiting for. The Tin Man approached the guard, who immediately stood straighter. Elphaba watched, careful to have her hood pulled over her face, as the guard disappeared into the castle. _So they are meeting outside, _Elphaba thought, a smile playing on her face. She quickly climbed down from the loft, hurring around the side of the garden. Now she faced a problem, how was she going to get within earshot of the front door without being seen. Elphaba gripped her broom, which she had brought with her from Kiamo Ko. If she was remembering right, on the other side of this hedge was a small, shadowy corner on the outside of the castle that was little used. Elphaba took a deep breath, knowing that she had this one chance, or it was over. And if someone saw her, riding her broom...well...then all of Oz would know she was still alive.

"I'm sorry Fiyero." She whispered, then mounted her broom, and flew over the hedge. She quickly landed on the other side, grabbing her broom, and pressing herself against the side of the hedge. No one seemed to have seen her, the only sound she heard was her pounding heart. She heard Boq's voice from somewhere to her left, and remembered the situation at hand.

"Miss Glinda...hello. I was wondering if would give me the pleasure of your company for a time."

Elphaba heard Glinda's high, bubbly voice answer.

"Well...I suppose so Biq...yes that would be very lovely." Elphaba her voce change to a more authoratative tone as she adressed the guard. "Please tell anyone who calls that I will be away for the morning."

"Yes Milady." The guard answered in a rough voice.

Elphaba peered around the corner, watching Boq and Glinda head off into the direction of the forest. Elphaba hiked up her skirts and went around the back of the castle into the woods. She traveled in the same direction she had seen Boq and Glinda go. Soon, she could hear the faint squeak of Boq's joints as they walked. Elphaba slowed as the two moved into the forest itself. She could hear them moving through the foilage, and saw them emerge in a small clearling. Elphaba hid just outside the open grass of the clearing, a little behind the two, her cloak pulled tightly around her. She saw Boq motion for Glinda to sit on a small tree stump. Elphaba heard Glinda's high voice as she spoke.

"What did you want to talk to me about Biq?"

"It's Boq! Why can't you remember that?" Boq shouted suddenly at Glinda. Elphaba saw Glinda's hand flutter to her chest, her mouth slightly agape.

"I...I'm sorry...Boq...it's just an old habit I suppose."

Boq took a moment to regain his composure, then turned and sat next to Glinda, looking her in the face.

"I'm sorry...I just...I wanted to talk about us...I know we haven't had the best relationship."

"Well...I always like to think it was a good relationship...but I suppose we could talk about it...if you wanted to."

"I was thinking about the old days after our last little meeting. Remembering all the good times we had, all uf us, Fiyero, Nessa...even Elphaba had her good moments." Elphaba saw Glinda look away, a sadness pulling at her face.

"Yes...Elphie always did have a good time with all of us. Even if she was too proud to admit it." Elphaba grinned, Glinda was right, in a way.

"I was actually thinking about her as well...you always seemed to be the closest to her out of our whole little group. I never did know that much about her."

"She didn't talk too much about her home life. I suspect that she didn't have many happy childhood memories. She once told me that she blamed herself for the way Nessa turned out. She thought her father hated her..." Elphaba watched as Glinda closed her eyes, pausing a moment. Her own heart was beating a bit faster, the familiar anger and guilt coming back to her as she thought of her father. "It must have been very hard for her, and then for her to be thrust into Shiz like she was. No wonder she hated me the first time she saw me. But then again, i wasn't too fond of her at first."

"She always seemed rather quiet to me whenever we all went out together. What did she like to do? I mean, she wasn't a very social person."

"No...she wasn't, at least not at first. But she got better as time went on. She kept to herself a lot. She like to read, she was always lugging around some book on ancient Ozian history or some other equally boring subject. She dragged me to the library many times, I enjoyed it more than I let her know."

Elphaba grinned, recalling the many times that she taken Glinda with her to one of the great libraries in Shiz.

"I uh...heard a rumor that she had come across a very...important book...a very old book. Did you ever see her with a book like that? I heard that she might have gotten a hold of it right here in the Emerald City."

Elphaba clenched her fists nervously as she waited for Glinda to answer. She hoped that she wouldn't tell Boq anything about the Grimmerie.

"You know...there was a strange man who asked me that very same question last evening. I will tell you the same thing I told him. Elphaba had one...but I don't know what happened to it. It was probably destroyed soon after she was!" Glinda turned her back to Boq as she finished speaking, her voice raising an octave higher as her emotions rose. Elphaba was close enough to them that she could see a few tears leaking down Glinda's checks.

"Yes...I was just wondering..."  
"I don't know Boq! I don't know what she was doing with that book! I hate that all of a sudden everyone is so concerned about a stupid book and not about her! They killed her Boq! You killed her! Your friend! And all anyone can think about is that horrible Grimmerie!" Elphaba flinched as Glinda's words echoed through the clearing. She hoped that no one had heard what she'd said.

"Glinda I..."

"I have to go Boq." As she passed him The Tin Man put his hand on Glinda's shoulders. She pulled away from him, facing him once more. "Did you know that man? The man who asked me about the Grimmerie before? Did he talk to you? Ask you to question me?" There was a slight pause before Boq answered.

"No." Glinda simply glared at him for a moment.

"I sincerly hope not...for your sake and hers." Glinda turned on her heel and walked out of the clearing. Elphaba continued watching Boq, who stood staring after her. After a moment, he turned, his head in his hands. Suddenly he grabbed up his axe and brought it down heavily on the wooden tree stump they had been sitting on. His cry of frustration and anger cut through the still air.

"Fine...nothing's changed since then...and nothing ever will. If the Green Girl is alive...I will find her...and I will forcer her to turn me back! Maybe then Glinda will see..." Boq ripped his axe from the wood, slung it over his shoulder, and walked away.

Elphaba emerged form her hiding place, shaking her heard sadly.

"I'm sorry Boq...I'm so sorry." She stood for a moment, silent, then hurried deeper into the forest, looking for a place to hide until nightfall.

Soon, as darkness fell, Elphaba came upon a small, cavelike hollow cut into a ragged cliff. Elphaba stepped inside, ducking underneath the small streams of water that dripped off of the rock over the entrance. She found a quiet, open space near the back of the cave. As she sat down, streaching her tired muscles, she felt like Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall, her namesake. Elphaba slowly pulled her hood off of her head, after making sure that no one was around to see her. She wondered about the strange man who had gotten Boq to help him in his quest to find her. Elhpaba desperately wanted to know who this man was, but she had no idea how he could know all that he knew about her.

What had surprised Elphaba the most was the fact that Boq went along with this strange man's plans. Elphaba understood that he might be upset at her for turning him to Tin, but surely he knew that it was the only way to save his life? She never did find out exactly what happened after she had left Nessa that night, she had gone before Boq had woken up and discovered his new body. Elphaba hadn't thought him capable of holding on to a grudge this long. Had he truly forgotten all the good times they had had at Shiz?

Elphaba shook her head sadly, things had changed so much in the time that she had been in hiding. It seemed like Oz was an entirely new place, strange to her in so many different ways. She saw no Animals on the streets anymore, and it seemed like Dr. Dillamond had been among the last of his kind to hold a teaching position anywhere. Elphaba felt a glimmer of pain as Nessa's words rang in her mind.

_"You went flying all over Oz rescuing Animals you didn't even know, but you didn't even think of using your powers to save me!"_

Elphaba had not known how unhappy her sister had been, she had been too busy in her own affairs to really pay attention to Nessa. Elphaba shook her head sadly as she thought of all those times she should have been there for her sister.

"Well, I can't change it now...I have to stop living in the past." Elphaba sat thinking on these things for a long while. Then, as the moon reached its peak in the sky, Elphaba stood, mounting her broom to make the journey to Kiamo Ko. She had kept Fiyero waiting too long. As she flew, she kept glancing downward, hoping that no strange eyes were following her, always keeping a lookout for the glint of moonlight off of a man made of tin.

Finally the castle came into view, and Elphaba landed a little ways away, there was a second entrance into the secret passageway on the outside of the castle. She quickly went up the winding passage, and rapped on the wall in front of her. She immediately heard quickened footsteps just outside the door. Suddenly light flooded the passage, and Elphaba blinked up at Fiyero's form.

Before she could speak a word he had grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace. She could feel his breath on her hair, and felt his corse hand stroking her back.

"Elphaba...I was so worried about you...I thought I'd never see you again..." He pulled back from her, holding her at arms length.

"Where in Oz were you Elphaba? I thought you had been caught, or killed or..."

"It's alright Fiyero, I was held up a little longer than I thought I would be. I'm sorry for making you worry."

She walked past him and up the stairs, into the open room.

"So...that's it? I'm sorry and all my worrying is dismissed? I want to know what kept you Elphaba. Please." He went to her and grabbed her hands. The look in his eyes was one of confusion and worry.

"Well...there was this...man, I have no idea who he was. He came to see Glinda while I was there. Fiyero...somehow my spell was broken. Glinda woke up, and he argued with her. I had to hide in her closet all night."

"What did he want?"

"Fiyero...he's looking for me...he wanted information and Glinda...Glinda wouldn't give it to him. He doesn't think I'm dead...and somehow he's got Boq wrapped up in all of this too."

"Boq?"

"Yes!" Elphaba walked to the table, taking her hat off her head. "He's got Boq working for him, he's helping him look for me. He questioned Glinda too, though she didn't tell him much. Fiyero...we have less time than I thought...we have to leave soon. They might..."

Elphaba broke off as she heard a noise coming from downstairs, it sounded almost like...someone was pounding on the door. She looked up at Fiyero with worry in her eyes.

"Fiyero..."

Suddenly the sound of splintering wood sounded, and Elphaba gasped as whoever it was began to break down the door. Fiyero propelled her towards a second room, where a secret passage waited behind the fireplace. He quickly closed the doors as Elphaba heard the door completely break down. She heard footsteps as Fiyero placed a large beam across the door. The people were soon on the other side, hacking at it with an axe, or some other wepon. Fiyero quickly pressed the hidden lever that opened the passageway. The floor of the fireplace shifted, revealing a long dark tunnel. Fiyero pushed Elphaba into the hole. She turned to him when she was halfway in.

"Fiyero...what about you?"

"They're breaking through too fast, I can't come with you!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Elphaba immediately struggled to crawl back out of the passage. But Fiyero held her down, his hands on her shoulders.

"Elphaba, you have to go...if you're caught, they'll kill you...they won't even know who I am." Another crashing of wood, now voices could be heard from the door. "Please, Elphaba go! I will not loose you when I could help you escape."

"Fiyero!"

"Go! Now" Fiyero pushed Elphaba back into the passage, hitting the lever as the door began to crash open. Elphaba was enclosed in darkness now, and she heard the door finally give way. She heard many voice shouting, and footsteps overhead. She heard Fiyero start to say something, then a heavy thunk, then his voice was silenced. Elphaba covered her mouth with her hand, her nails of her other hand digging into her palm. As the voices began to fade away, Elphaba hit her palms on the door above her.

"Fiyero!" She nearly screamed, hearing chaos in the other room as the searchers probably tore up everything in the room. "Fiyero!" She beat the door until her hands felt numb, ignored the bleeding on her palms and nails as she attemped to scractch her way though the ceiling. Finally, all her energy seemed to leave her, as the castle became quiet once again. She collapsed down onto her knees, her head in her hands. "Fiyero," she whispered "no...not again...I can't lose you again...don't leave me alone...I can't be alone...not again..." The only sound in the dark passageway were the sounds of Elphaba's wrenched sobs, echoing off of the stone walls.


	10. Boq

_**I sincerly apologize for not updating in a while. I had a World Competition with my Show Choir that I've been preparing for, and we just got back yesterday. I'M SO SORRY:( Please accept this next chapter as a reward for your patient waiting. I will try DESPERATELY not to go so long without updating again!**_

**Chapter 10: Boq**

The interview with Glinda had not gone well. Boq had tried to ease into his questions, but as usual Glinda seemed to make all his well thought out lead-ins disappear from his mind. She had always had an intoxicating effect on him, clouding out every thought inside his head, until he wasn't sure where he was, or what he was doing. But as much as he had tried to show his affection for her, Glinda The Good had never shown any sign of returning that affection, and Boq could not accept that.

His heart had nearly broken when she had pulled away from his embrace, that ice in her eyes that chilled him to the bone. Her voice had been like a knife cutting into him. How had she figured out the truth so fast? Boq had tried to cover it up, but he wasn't sure that Glinda believed that no one had asked him to question her. His emotions overtook him as she had walked away from him again...the log in front of him split nearly in two with the force of his axe. He could feel the rage as it escelated, his anger towards Elphaba growing.

He had to admit that Glinda's words had hit a nerve with him though. It was true, Elphaba had been his friend, and she had trusted him. He often wondered what possessed her to turn him into a man of tin to begin with. He could never understand why she had done that. He couldn't remember a lot about that moment. He recalled walking into the room to see Elphaba, could hear Nessa talking to him, standing up...somehow...and he remembered telling her about Glinda. He had been planning to go see her, to try and reason with her once more before she married Fiyero. And then...darkness...nothing for a long while...and then he had woken up... as a monster.

But now...now he would not rest until he found Elphaba. His guilt had been consumed by anger, and the pain of rejection. He had continued straight to the emerald city, gathering some guards. He sent a message with Grometik to give to his master, explaining that Boq could not wait any longer. He would send his troops into the rural parts of Oz, searcing for any place the Green Girl might be hiding. To his surprise, the strange man and appeared, and told him he had a special way of trasporting the guards. Boq had stayed behind in the Emerald City, knowing that the Witch could recognize him easily if he lead the guards in search of her.

Near the early morning, after a restless night, Boq heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he saw Grometik. The small tik-tok creature held out a slip of paper, with a single message written on it.

**They found something**

A few minutes later Boq was hurrying down a small alleyway, looking around for any sign of the mysterious man. Soon in the pale light, Boq saw a cloaked figure waiting silently for him.

"Come with me."

Boq followed the man down some stairs, and through a small door that was hidden in the wall. When they emerged, Boq looked around in amazement. They were in the Ozian jail, they had come through a door that was nearly invisible when closed. As Boq walked silently down the dark hallway, he realized that they were in the section of the jail that was empty, no one occupied any of the cells he passed. Then, they came to last cell, in a darkened corner of the jail. Peering through the bars, Boq could just make out a figure slumped in the corner, holding his head in his hands.

"Where did you find him?"

"In an abandoned castle out near the mountains. The guards nearly missed it, and he was the only person inside. They searched the entire castle and found very little. But he may provide some information. He put up quite a fight, we had to get a bit rough with him."

As the man was speaking, the prisoner moved into the light a bit more. Boq stepped back, his eyes wide. It was the Scarecrow, the same Scarecrow who had helped them vanquish the Wicked Witch and send that Dorothy girl back to her home. Kansy...or something like that. He looked a mess though...the seams on one side of his head had been split, and there were tufts of straw sticking up in numerous places on his body. He seemed to be having trouble focusing, and it took him a moment to realize that they were watching him.

"Sweet Oz, did you have to get so violent?"

"Are you questioning me? Perhaps you have forgotten that we are working towards the same goal, finding the Witch. This Scarecrow may have some of the answers we are looking for. I do not need your help, but if you wish to avenge your past I suggest you keep quiet and listen."

Boq was taken aback, but he closed his mouth and remained silent. The man turned his attention back to the Scarecrow. "Now...I want to know what you were doing in that castle."

The Scarecrow remained silent, staring numbly up at the man. He shook his head, leaning against the prisoner's bars.

"Come now...don't be difficult. I will find out sooner or later. But I would hate to have to harm you further, so why don't you just make it easier on yourself? Now...why were you there? That castle looked like it had been abandoned for a long time before just reccently. Why would anyone, especially a hero like yourself want to live in such a run down place, so far away from the city? Unless...you are hiding something."

"I...wasn't hiding...anything...I merely wanted...to get away." The Scarecrow's voice was weak and defeated as he spoke, his breathing labored.

"Get away form what?"

"Life."

"You see, that is hard for me to believe, for you can never escape life. It is always there, waiting in the darkness. But we'll let that pass for now. You were one of the three who helped vanquish the Wicked Witch Of The West, I would like to know what you know about her."

The Scarecrow was silent, through could see his eyes go a bit wider at the mention of the Witch.

"I am not a patient man Scarecrow. I will find out what you know, believe me on that. Now what do you know about the Witch? Surely you must have heard something about her. Perhaps this would help, in her younger days, she was called Elphaba, though few know that she actually had a life before her wickedness corrupted her."

There was silence again, then just as the man was about to speak, the Scarecrow whipsered something in a hoarse voice.

"The Witch is dead." He stared at the man, locking eyes with him, his expression seeming to say 'I will never tell you anything.'

The man glared at the Scarecrow, who had receeded back into the shadows, turning his face away from the man.

"Very well...until you learn to be more cooperative, you will remain here. Guard him well!" The man shouted to the nearby guard, then the mysterious man turned on his heel and left. Boq stared down at the prisoner, still trying to comprehend who it was.

He had met the Scarecrow on his way to the emerald city with Dorothy. He had been tied to a pole, and Dorothy had been kind enough to release him. There had been something about the Scarecrow that had been oddly familiar to Boq. He had reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite grasp who it was. Along the way to the Emerald City, the Scarecrow had acted slightly worried about something, but whenever Boq would ask him about it, he would not answer him. Then, when the Wizard had ordered them to find and kill the Wicked Witch, Boq had detected on the face of the Scarecrow a look of utter horror. But when they had finally reached the castle of the Witch, the Scarecrow seemed relieved, almost calm as they had climbed the stairs to the Witch's lair. And after the Witch had melted, the Scarecrow had gone with them to the Emerald City, then had just disappeared. Boq had thought that he had moved far away from the City, and he too was wondering what he had been doing in that abandoned castle.

"What happened to you?" Boq whispered softly, turning to leave. He saw the Scarecrow glance up at him, a look of terrible sadness on his face.

"The question is...what has happened to you?" The words rang in Boq's ears as he began to walk down the long dungeon hallway. Even after he was outside of the prison, the cool breeze blowing in face, it seemed as though the wind was chanting the words to his very soul.

_"what has happened to you...what has happened to you?...to you?"_

_**Again I apologize profusely for not updating sooner. Please forgive me!**_


	11. Elphaba

_**Okay, time for another Elphaba chapter! And Thank you to all who have been reviewing, they have been very helpful and encouraging to me!**_

**Chapter 11: Elphaba**

Elphaba had no idea how long she had been crumpled on the floor of the secret passageway. Nothing seemed to matter to her anymore. Fiyero was gone, somehow they had found them, and taken him.

_And it's all my fault. I lead them here...it's my fault he's gone...I deserve to be alone. _

Elphaba replayed those final instants in her mind, seeing Fiyero's face as he pushed her to safety. She could hear his voice, trying to reason with the guards, then a horrible, heavy thunk, and then all was still. Elphaba's chest hurt from sobbing, but it was nothing compared the great feeling of loss that had been thrown upon her.

Elphaba drifted in and out of sleep, feeling no desire to move, hearing Fiyero's voice in her head constantly. And then, at last, she heard something else that Fiyero said to her.

_"I love you."_

"Fiyero...I love you too." Elphaba sat up, wiping the stinging tears from her face, staring numbly at her scratched and bleeding fingers. What was she doing here? She was acting like Fiyero was dead, like she'd never see him again.

"He may have been captured, but he's still alive." She stood up, placing her hand on the wall to support herself, pulling herself straight. "It won't do him any good to have me sitting here acting as though he were gone forever." Elphaba took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm, to think out a plan before she headed to the Emerald City.

She felt certain that the mysterious man had something to do with this. For one fleeting instant she saw Boq's face in her mind's eye, staring at her in horror that day she had last seen Nessarose. Elphaba shook her head, banishing the image from her mind. Elphaba wasn't sure if Boq was involved in this attack or not, but deep down Elphaba thought he was. She had seen his face when Glinda had walked away from him during their meeting, she had seen nothing but pain and anger etched on his face. Elphaba knew well herself what horrible deeds come from that terrible pain.

Elphaba knew she had to find out where Fiyero was being kept, and get a look at the place before she tried anything. Elphaba hoped that she could find Fiyero in time, she couldn't push away the fear that somehow, someone would recognize him. Elphaba decided to head back to the Emerald City, keeping a close lookout for anyone who might know where they had taken Fiyero. Elphaba placed her hat on her head, standing tall, and began to walk down the long dark passage.

When she finally reached the door, Elphaba was feeling anxious. It wasn't going to be easy to find Fiyero, they way that the guards had taken him so roughly, Elphaba figured that he would probably be guarded well. But she had to try, she knew that if given the chance, Fiyero would search for her as well. As she slowly eased the secret door open, Elphaba peaked around the corner, making sure that no guard had stayed to watch the castle. But no one was in the small clearing where Elphaba emerged at. She blinked at the bright sunlight that came flickering through the trees. Elphaba wrapped her cloak around her, greatful that she had kept it on.

The sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon, and Elphaba cursed herself for taking up so much time grieving. Fiyero could be in even more trouble now because of it, and Elphaba silently cursed herself.

Taking a hold of her broom, she took off, flying higher then usual. The entire break-in had shaken her nerves, and made her more paranoid than she usually was. As the moon rose, Elphaba continued to flly, hoping to make up for the lost time that had passed. Finally, a few hours before dawn, Elphaba could make out the Emerald city. She landed just on the outskirts of the city, heading into the abandonded barn. Climbing quietly up the ladder into the loft, Elphaba began to work out exactly what she needed to do. As much as she hated taking more time away from Fiyero, Elphaba knew she had to rest, it would do him no good to try and save him, and then not be able to think things through because she was tired.

Elphaba also thought about Glinda...she had contemplated going to Glinda for help, but she figured that would be too risky. Still, she kept the idea as a backup plan, in case nothing else worked.

Elphaba sighed, a wave of exhaustion creeping up on her.

_Don't worry Fiyero...I will find you._

Elphaba's eyes fluttered closed and soon she was asleep.

She had a strange dream...

_Elphaba was in a large room. As she looked around she saw that was Nessarose's room back at Colwen Grounds. Elphaba saw Nessa near the center of the room, standing up,...looking towards the door. Elphaba also saw a long, silver figure lying motionless on the floor...Boq. Elphaba watched quietly from the shadows as she heard Boq mutter something from the darkness._

_"Wh...what happened?"_

_Nessarose turned to him, and Elphaba could see a hardness in her eyes. _

_"Nothing...you just...fell asleep." Elphaba watched as Boq stood up then, and could see Nessa's look of pity mingled with love. _

_"What is it? Wha...?" His voice trailed off as he stared down at his hands. Elphaba heard Nessa trying to calm him, trying to get him to stay with her still. Boq screamed in agony and ran out of the door. Elphaba felt a chill go down her spine as she heard Nessa scream._

_"It was Elphaba's fault Boq! It was Elphaba!" Elphaba felt like the world was swirling around her, then suddenly she was looking down on a mob, hungry for blood. She saw them storm her castle, Boq in the lead. She heard screams in her ears, that wretched's girl's dog barking...she saw a great wall of water come toward her...she was drowning...she couldn't breathe, her body was on fire..._

"NO!" Elphaba sat bolt upright in the loft, her arms reaching in front of her. As her breathing slowed, she realized where she was, remembered all that had happened. Elphaba brought her hand up to wipe her brow, and saw she was shaking.

_It was a dream...a nightmare...that's all._

But Elphaba felt a twinge of fear deep inside her, that somewhere in her dream...rang a bit of truth.

"It was a dream." She said firmly to herself, ashamed at herself for being so effected by what she had seen. She didn't sleep the rest of the night.


	12. Glinda

_**I apologize again for taking so long in updating! End of school, end of programs...sigh but I will try to get on at least once a week to update! (School will be out in about two weeks, so there's not much left to do except study for finals.) In the meantime, I think it's time for another Glinda chapter!**_

**Chapter 12: Glinda**

Glinda stormed away from Boq, her hands clenched in fists. Twice she stopped, whirling back, almost going back to really give him a piece of her mind, but then she always turned on her heel and continued on her way. How dare Boq talk like that! All he'd wanted to ask her about was the Grimmerie...that horrindable book!

Glinda stopped near the edge of the forest, leaning against a tree, her hand over her eyes.

"Oh Elphie...what happened to you? Why does this man think that you're alive?" Glinda sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. Now she didn't know who to trust, the mysterious man was after information about Elphaba, and now Boq had been pulled into this strange situation. Glinda thought about his face when she had yelled at him, about how he had killed his friend, and all he cared about was the Grimmerie. For an instant, Glinda had thougth she had seen a look of real fear and guilt flicker across Boq's silver face. Just as quickly as it had come though, the look had been replaced by a hardness in his eyes.

Glinda just couldn't believe that Boq had changed so much, what in Oz would cause him to murder his friend? He got along with Elphaba more than he had let on in their school days, Elphaba usually came and talked with him and Nessarose after classes. Could it have something to do with his changing into the Tin Man? But Glinda wasn't even sure how that had come about, only a brief explination that a powerful magic had transformed him had been given to he by Boq.

All these thoughts pounded within Glinda's mind as she finally reached her castle again. Nodding to the guard, she walked up the stairs to her room, sinking down on her window seat and gazing out the window. She looked toward her bed, thinking of the floorboards that hid the Grimmerie. Why did everyone suddenly want that book? Glinda knew it was one of the most ancient book of spells there was, but not even the Wizard could read what it said. Surely there was no one left in Oz who could read the Grimmerie, Elphaba had been able to because she had been of two worlds...one of Oz, and one of the other world.

Glinda shook her head, unable to think any longer. The sun was beginning to go down, and Glinda felt exhausted from the day's events. She changed into her nightclothes, and pulled a brush through her golden hair. As she slipped beneath the covers, Glinda once again touched the emerald bottle under her pillow, Elphaba's face filled her mind as she drifted into sleep.

A knock on her door the next morning brought a servant into her room, reminding her that she had a few galas to attend to that day. Glinda sighed and shooed the servant away, going to her closet to chose a proper gown. She decided it was too warm to wear blue, yet she had work pink only two days before. Her hand finally came to rest on an emerald green dress, embrodiered with small black beads at the neck and wrists. Glinda smiled slightly as she thought of Elphaba, with a pink flower in her hair, admiring herself for the first time in a mirror. Glinda still smiled as she slipped the dress on, putting her hair up in a festive poof.

Glinda carried on the rest of the afternoon in boring monotony. Each party was the same, the guests all smiling, as if they had no idea of the turmoil that was occuring right in the Emerald City. Perhaps this was because they didn't have an idea, but Glinda could not keep her mind on the festivities. As she left the last gala, a young soilder dressed in a shapr uniform approached her.

"Miss Glinda?"

"Yes?"

"You have been requested to allow me to escort you to the dungeons, there was a very important prisoner caught earlier today that I have been instructed to show you."

"Well...of course, if you must...but I don't understand why I should be seeing a prisoner."

"Well, it seems this chap had been hiding out in an abandoned castle, though he refuses to tell us why. It was actually quite surprising when we first caught him. You will know him when you see him." The guard said, letting Glinda take his arm as he lead her towards the dungeons.

"What? You mean I know this man?"

"Indeed ma'm, I believe you do."

The guard led Glinda down a long flight of stairs, then behind a smaller door, down another flight of stairs. As they went lower, Glinda got shivers. The air grew colder and darker with every step downward. Finally they came to a long hallway, where the Guard led Glinda down to very last cell in the row. As a shaft of the setting sun hit the figure's face, Glinda gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. It was the Scarecrow, the very same one that Dorothy had rescued, the one Glinda had helped.

"What have you done to him!" She demanded, whirling on the guard.

"Temper, temper Miss Upland." A familiar voice sounded from the darkness. Glinda glared at the mysterious man as he stepped from the shadows. "It does not become you.Our friend here put up quite a struggle when we discovered. Violence was the only way we could get him to cooperate." Glinda stared at him, amazed at the calm that his voice held as he spoke of what he had done.

"What has he done to you? Why does it matter where he was? Maybe he simply wanted to escape the city, to find solitude of his own!"

"Yes, that very well could be, but the castle that we found him in was much too large for one person. We believe that there may have been another person with him. But he's not giving us any information."

Glinda wanted to point out that 'he' was in the room with them and could hear every word the man was saying, but one look from the man's icy eyes froze Glinda's words.

"I wanted you to see exactly what people are truly like outside your small world. Why, even people that you thought you knew may turn out to surprise you. Think about that." With a click of his boot, the mysterious man and the guard walked away from Glinda and the Scarecrow. She watched him go, then looked closer into the cell, her hands on the bars.

"I don't believe what he's telling me, I don't think you've done anything wrong." She noticed that he looked rather weary, and thin. "Have you been given anything to eat?"

"No" his voice was like a whisper, though his eyes held her gaze as he looked up at her. "They haven't given me anything since I got here, probably because I have hardly spoken a word to them at all."

Glinda looked around once more, then lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Tonight...I'll return...I don't trust that man. Don't worry, I'll get the guard out of the way."

He smiled weakly at Glinda.

"Thank you."

Later on, when the moon was high in the sky, a cloaked figure made its way down to the dungeons. Glinda puased in the doorway, removing her hood and smothing down her hair. She had changed her clothes, wearing a dark blue dress with a rather...well...low neckline. After all, the guard had to be lured from his post somehow. And that was exactly the kind of thing Glinda was excellent at.

Taking a deep breath, Glinda strode down the long, dank hallway, purposely throwing out her hips and flipping her hair.

"Hello." Glinda said the guard, who simply nodded at her as she stood beside the prisoner's cage. The Scarecrow lay with is back to her, though Glinda doubted he was asleep. Sure enough, he rolled over slightly, his eyes looking into hers. He gave no sign that he knew why she was there, simply rolled back over on his side.

Glinda turned towards the guard, fanning herself slightly with her hand.

"It's a bit hot in here don't you think?" Glinda asked sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at the guard. She heard him clear his throat nervously before speaking.

"N...no I don't think so Ma'm."

"Well, maybe it's just me, but I feel a bit lightheaded." She grasped one of the bars with her hand, flipping her hair again and sighing a little.

"Would you...no...I shouldn't ask...you have your duties after all." The guard's gaze flickered to Glinda, and he stood a bit straighter as he answered.

"What is it you wish Miss Glinda?"

Glinda walked slowly closer to him, one finger playing with the small necklace she wore at her throat.

"Well...I was just wondering..." At this point in her little charade Glinda fell lightly against the man's chest, her hand fluttering to her head.

"Oh! Forgive me...I feel a bit faint." The guard dropped his spear as he caught her, supporting her arms. Glinda was pleased to see a small trickle of sweat on his face.

"No need to apologize Miss...are you alright?"

"Yes, yes I believe so. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to fetch me a cup of water? Perhaps that will help cool me off." Glinda asked, running her hand lightly across the guard's arm, her voice breathy and quiet. She could see the guard struggle to get his words out.

"Y-y-yes o-of course Miss Glinda...right away." He scrambled to pick up his fallen spear, giving Glinda a salute before walking away.

"Thank you!" Glinda called after him, giving the guard a little wave as he looked back at her. When he was gone Glinda grinned, then turned back to the cell.

"Well, that was easy. I brought you some food...left over from dinner, I brought as much as I could carry." Glinda reached into her cloak, and began pulling various bags of food from inside a hip bag she wore concealed under the cloak. She knelt beside the cell, handing the bags to the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow reached through the bars, taking the food. The first bag, which held small, cut pieces of bread, he ripped open an began eating immedately. Glinda smiled, though she winced a bit at how fast he was stuffing the food in his mouth.

"Thank you...Glinda." The Scarecrow said, looking at her. Something about the way he said her name, the way his eyes looked at her, reminded Glinda of someone. She was momentarily speachless as she tried to remember who. But then she realized he was waiting for her to answer him and she blushed faintly.

"You're welcome. I'll try and come back when that food runs out...probably in a few days. Until then you can hide it underneath your bed...I doubt they'll even open this cell until you're ready to talk."

He nodded to her, hiding the bags as she instructed. Glinda stood, brushing her dress off and looking nervously down the hall.

"I'd better go, I don't know when that guard will come back. I'll be back...I find a way to get you out of there." Glinda said, feeling determination well up inside of her. As she turned to go, Glinda puased, she had seen something. It looked almost like one of the shadows beside the cell had moved...but as Glinda peered closer, she could see only inky blackness. Glinda rubbed her eyes, unsure now that she had seen anything. But still...as she walked back to the castle the image of the Scarecrow stayed with her, and her mind kept going back to that strange shadow.


	13. Fiyero

_**Yay! I actually have free time! WHOO HOOO! does a little cheer Okay, I'm fine now! I think that it is high time for another Fiyero chapter! Please Review!**_

**Chapter 13: Fiyero**

The raid had happened so quickly Fiyero wasn't really sure how he managed to get Elphaba out of harm's way and put up with the rough treatment he was given. He had seen the birds leave the forest from the top window of Kiamo Ko that day, and had known that something wasn't right. He had been nearly consumed by worry for Elphaba, she had been gone for far too long. But Fiyero had remembered the promise he had made her, that if anthing happened to her, he would not try and go after her.

Still, Fiyero could not help but feel his heart flutter as a knock had come from the secret door. Fiyero had oppened it, overjoyed at seeing Elphaba standing there, alive. He had embraced her, both cross with her and at the same time immensely relieved that she had not been captured. As she had told him about the strange man she had seen confronting Glinda, his suspicions began to worsen.

As soon as he heard the door began to split he knew that he had to save Elphaba, no matter what the cost. He had forced her into the secret trapdoor, attempting to placify her by explaining that the guards wouln't even know who he was. He knew very well that the guards would have killed Elphaba on the spot if they had discovered her. As he closed the secret door, he willed her face to burned into his memory forever, just in case something happened to him.

As the Guards finally broke down the door Fiyero could just barely hear Elphaba's faint screams from her hiding place. The cries wrenched his heart, but Fiyero would rather die himself then to see Elphaba hurt. She had already gone through so much more hurt in her life than any person should have to endure.

The Guards had entered the room, one of them began shouting questions at Fiyero. He tried to reason with them, attempted to convince them that he lived in that castle alone. But the Guards would have none of it. Fiyero had seen a flash of something out of the corner of his eye, then felt a blinding pain on the side of his head. The last thing he had heard before blacking out had been the Guard's shouts, and the distant, fading sound of Elphaba's voice, calling for him.

When Fiyero had woken up, he had no idea where he was. He sat up very slowly, colors swimming before his eyes and his head throbbing painfully. As his view came into focus, Fiyero could make out that he was in a prison cell. It was very dark, and dreary inside the cell, empty except for the straw which served as Fiyero's bed.

Fiyero had walked over to the door of his cell, looking as far down the empty hallway as he could. The rest of the dungeon looked empty, the only sound was the dripping of water that leaked onto the floor from a crack in the ceiling.

_Well, _he thought drearily, _at least Elphaba wasn't captured. _

At that moment, Fiyero heard footsteps echoing across the stone floor of the prison. His head was still throbbing, the pain seeming to grow worse with every footstep. Fieryo sank down on his cot again, his head in his hands. Slowly, the footsteps came to a halt outside his door.

"Ahh...I see that you're awake. I'm afraid our guards had to get a bit...rougher with you than I would have seen fit, but, as long as you're here..."

Fiyero lifted his head to look at the man who was speaking. He wore a long, black cloak, with a hood that covered his face. One thin, long finger was tapping the surface of the bars to Fiyero's cage as he spoke. Fieryo felt his blood run cold, this must have been the man that Elphaba had told him about. There was a coldness to him, a hardness that seeped through his every word. Fiyero knew that this man would go to any lengths to achieve what he wanted.

"I find it very interesting that you, a...hero of sorts in the Emerald City would chose to live so confined from the rest of Oz. That castle surely has not been used until very reccently, and it seems much too large for someone such as yourself to occupy alone."

Fiyero simply glared at the man, refusing to answer. He noticed the man take a tight grip on the bar, as if restraining himself from expressing his frustration.

"I want to know who you were with, and why. I don't take kindly to things being done behind my back, especially if those things can be harmful to me...or to Oz."

But Fiyero shook his head silently, his eyes borning into the hood the man's cloak. He was not about to say anything to this man about what he had been doing at Kiamo Ko.

"Come now," the man's voice had dropped in volume, and it seemed to Fiyero that he was struggling not to start yelling uncontrolably in Fiyero's face. "I will eventually find out what you have been up to. Why don't you make it easier on yourself and tell me straight out? What were you doing in that castle, and who was with you?" This last sentance was said with a harsh, cold tone, the man leaning towards Fiyero, his hands gripping the bars.

Fiyero stared back in defiance.

The man cursed and pushed himself away from the bars of the cell.

"Fine, you will learn the hard way Scarecrow what happens to those who try to disobey me." The man turned with a swish of his cloak, and walked back up the long, stone path between the cells.

Fiyero sighed, laying back onto his cot, the pain in his head now reduced to a dull pounding. The guard standing outside his door had followd the mysterious man, so Fiyero was now, utterly alone. He stared at the ceiling for what seemed ages, until he heard more footsteps coming towards him.

"What have you done to him?" A familiarly high pitched voice rang in Fiyero's ears. He sat up, looking through the bars of the cage where Glinda stood, looking at him with utter disbeief.

"Temper Temper Miss Upland." The mysterious man spoke, stepping out of the shadows. Fiyero listened silently to their conversation, noticing a change in Glinda's personality. She was not thinking of herself now, but of him. Fiyero knew that she only thought of him as The Scarecrow, she didn't know who he really was. He was greatful for her offer to bring him food, for until now, he hadn't realized how hungry he had been.

Later on that night, Fiyero heard Glinda come back down to his cell. He had been trying to get some sleep, but worry for his current situation, and for Elphaba had not allowed him to. He rolled over briefly, looking at Glinda in what he hoped was a very bored way.

He listened to her 'distract' the guard, smiling to himself as he heard her little charade to overwhelm the guard with her beauty. He listened gratefully as the guard's heavy footsteps faded away.

As he took the food from Glinda, he watched her from the corner of his eye, thinking how much she had changed in the time that he had seen her last. She had really tried to become 'Glinda the Good' to the citizens of Oz, and Fiyero could notice that she viewed her world differently now.

"I'll find a way to get you out of there." Glinda said, patting his hand before standing up and walking away. Fiyero smiled in spite of the situation, she had really kept her promise.

As he laid back down, now feeling a bit better than earlier, thoughts of Elphaba ran through his mind. He hoped that he had done the right thing, by leaving her at Kiamo Ko. He hoped that the guards hadn't completely destroyed the castle. He also hoped that she wouldn't do anything stupid to try and get him out.

He knew that Elphaba would, without a doubt, attmept to rescue him. He just hoped that she would be careful about whatever plan she might come up with.

Fiyero sat up suddenly, with the errie feeling that someone was watching him. He looked out of his cell, up and down the hallway, but he saw no one. The guard had not come back yet, he had probably gone off in search of Glinda. But still, Fiyero felt as though someone's eyes were on him.

He shook his head, sitting back down on the cot, pulling off his dingy hat and setting it beside him.

"Be careful Elphie," he whispered to the quiet darkness, feeling the need to speak, even if no one was there with him.

"Please...just...be careful."

As Fiyero laid down and tried to get some sleep, he could have sworn that he could hear a voice answer him from the darkness, carried as though on the wind.

"I will Fiyero, I will."

_**Sorry for the delay, I was in New York for the past four days. I finally saw Wicked, and it was AMAZING! Shoshona was so wonderful, as was Jenifer Laura Thompson, David Ayers, and the rest of the cast. Afterwords I even got to meet David (he gave me an autograph and I got a picture with him.) AND I got a picture of Shoshona (she was in a hurry, so I couldn't get an autograph). I also got a picture with the composer, Alex Lacamoire.**_

_**Please please please Read and Review! hands out wicked merchendise to all who review**_


	14. Chp 14Elphaba

_**YAY! Thank you so much for reviewing! I love you all! Here's another Elphaba chapter for you!**_

**Chapter 14: Elphaba**

After the nightmare, Elphaba couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. As soon as the sky was a shade lighter, she pulled on her hood, and hurried down towards the dungeon. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to get into the prison...but she would find a way. Elphaba had to see what the cell looked like before she could start getting Fiyero out.

Elphaba studied the outside carefully, trying to find another way to get inside other than by the front entrance. Elphaba noticed a guard coming out from behind the building. Intrigued, Elphaba made her way in that direction, but the guard spotted her before she could get around to the back.

"Excuse me, you're not allowed back there, Ozian Officials only." He took hold of Elphaba's arm to steer her away. Elphba stiffened, yanking her arm out of the guard's grasp, pulling her hood lower over her face. She nodded curtly, trying to ignore the suspicous look on the guard's face.

She walked quickly back toward the main road, refusing to look back in the guard's direction. Turning a corner, Elphaba silently cursed to herself. How was she going to get inside the dungeon? The guard was sure to stay near the back of the prison after seeing her. Elphaba decided to take a risk and distract him. Taking a deep breath, Elphaba stepped out so she could just see the dungeon, and the street that ran beside it.

Elphaba began to chant softly under her breath, waving her hands slightly under her cloak. Soon, a loud crash sounded in the forest nerby. She saw the guard look in that direction, saw the debate in his face weather or not to leave his post. Then, his curiosity got the better of him and he left, plunging into the woods. Elphaba sighed, heading toward the back of the prison, walking quickly in case the guard came back sooner than she expected.

Elphaba came around the corner, seeing a lage, ancient wooden door set into the worn brick of the dungeon. Elphaba hurried over to it. She shoved it hard, using her shoulder, but it didn't budge. Elphaba pulled it towards her, but the door was locked. Elphaba slumped against the wall, feeling defeated. She was about to try something else when she heard the grate of a key in the lock of the door. Elphaba looked around frantically for a place to hide, but saw none. Just then the door swung open, and Elphaba pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath. The door nearly hit her in the face, but Elphaba didn't move as one guard hurrried out into the sunlight, not stopping to look around him.

As soon as he had disappeared from sight, Elphaba grabbed the door, just before it shut, and hurried inside. She wrapped her cloak around her as the door closed and all was in darkness for a moment. She saw that she was looking down a long hallway full of cells. Across a shorter wall, she could see more cells. She heard a man's voice echo down the hallway as she moved closer to one of the cells near the intersection of the two hallways. Elphaba held her breath as she caught sight of the strange hooded figure from Glinda's cell. He was talking to a prisoner in the cell in front of him, gripping the bars with his hands. With a curse he let go of the bars, striding off down the hallway, leaving the prisoner utterly alone.

Elphaba gasped as she saw who was inside the cage.

"Fiyero." She whispered, staying within the shadows, her eyes never leaving the scarecrow's form. He looked like he had been badly beaten, and Elphaba felt her hands clench into fists at the thought of what they had done to him. He lay on the cot, staring at the ceiling. Elphaba desperately wanted to reach out to him, to let him know she was there. But she couldn't, not yet. Then, she heard footsteps on the stones, coming closer. She pressed herself against a wall, going deeper into the shaodws.

To her surprise, Elphaba heard Glinda's voice echo through the silence with its usual high pitch. She listened to the argument between Glinda and the mysterious man with interest, watching the entire scene. She saw Glinda take a hold of the bars, and heard her speak to Fiyero.

"I don't believe what he's telling me. I don't think you've done anything wrong." Elphaba grinned slightly, she could see how much her friend had changed since that night...Elphaba could see that she really had tried to Glinda The Good. Elphaba watched as Glinda walked away, suddenly fighting the urge to break from her hiding place, to tell her friend that she was alive. But Elphaba couldn't, maybe someday...but not now, especially with this man after her.

Elphaba decided to find out what that man was up to, and snuck out the back door again. She hurried across the lawn, looking for any sign of him. Then, in the distance, she saw the man walking towards the forest, a small, tick tock creature with him. Elphaba shuddered as she thought of all the trouble those creatures had caused all of Oz.

Elphaba dashed into the trees, staying parallel with the man, trying to keep him in sight. Finally, she saw him disappear into a small house on the outskirts of the woods. Elphaba crept slowly towards the house, staying low to the ground and moving silently. She could just barely hear his voice from inside the house. Elphaba ducked as she suddenly saw someone approaching. She heard the door squeak as it was opened then a new voice joined the man's, one that was oddly familiar.

"What are we going to to do with him? We can't keep him locked up forever."

"On the contrary my friend, we can keep just as long as we like. He has to talk sometime. I know he's hiding something. The way he refused to answer my question..."

"Why are you so sure that the Scarecrow has anything to do with the witch?"

Elphaba knew who's voice that was...it was Boq's.

"Do not question me!" The mysterious man's voice echoed, his rage evident. There was a moment of tense silence, then the man spoke once more, with a more even tone. "There are ways to break any person. We will find out what he's hiding, whatever it takes."

"Yes sir."

"As for you, I want you to go back to that castle, try and find anything that might help untangle this mystery. I have a feeling the sooner we figure this out, the closer we get to finding The Wicked Witch."

Elphaba heard the door open again, and caught a glimpse of Boq's silver form as he walked away from the cottage. Elphaba noticed it was getting dark, she decided to go back to the dungeon, for one last glimpse of Fiyero, and to make sure that her plan would work. But as she started to leave, she heard the man murmmer one last phrase, his voice barely audible.

"Though your services will be of use to me for only so long." Elphaba shivered as she plunged into the trees once more. As much as she knew that Boq was now her enemy, she still feared what would happen to him once his "services" were no longer needed by this strange man.

Elphaba paused before entering into the dungeon once more, making certain no one was following her. Elphaba emerged next to Fiyero's cell, her gaze going over every detail of the hallway, the cells, everything. Elphaba heard someone speaking, with a soft, breathy voice. As Elphaba listened she could hear Glinda talking to the guard...well...flirting would be more like it. Elphaba couldn't help but smile as she listened, some of the old Glinda was still there. Soon, she heard the guard walk away, and heard Glinda talking to Fiyero. Elphaba felt truly grateful for Glinda being there, somehow she had changed, and she had unselfishly helped another. Elphaba could only remember one other time that Glinda had done that. A picture of Glinda in the middle of a dance floor, standing with a girl with green skin, dancing just as horribly as Elphaba had so that Elphaba would fit in. The memory made Elpahaba's stomach clench, as she listened to Glinda walk away from Fiyero's cell.

Elphaba braved a peek into Fiyero's cell, she could see him lying on his cot, staring up at the ceiling. Elphaba couldn't help but feel guilty that that was there, it was her fault he had been captured. The guards had been after her, not him. Suddenly, Fiyero sat up, and Elphaba ducked back into the shadows, remaining silent. She heard his words echoed off of the walls.

"Be careful Elphie. Please...just...be careful."

Elphaba could not stop herself from answering him, her voice little more than a whisper in the dark.

"I will Fiyero, I will."

Elphaba waited a few more moments, hearing nothing but the sound of Fiyero's breathing and the steady "drip" of water on the floor. With a final look around, Elphaba chanced one last glimpse in Fiyero's direction, then headed for the back door once more.

She puased with her fingers on the handle, a new feeling of determination rising inside of her.

"Don't worry Fiyero...I'll get you out. Or I'll die trying."

_**Blah, I know, not much of a cliffhanger. But my brain is a little fried at the moment. I would like to tell you all that I will not be able to update until after July 3rd. I am leaving for Europe with a National Show Choir called FAME All-Stars on June 14th, and won't be back until July 3rd. I'm sorry to leave you hanging like this, but I promise some BIG chapters when I get back as a reward! Thank you! Please read and review! Love you all!**_


	15. Chapter 15Boq

_**Sorry for not updating sooner. I've had a small case of annoying writer's block, and then I had a few days of choreography camp for my Show Choir. But today's the last day for that so I'll try and update more. Thank you! I'm glad to be back in the US!**_

**Chapter 15: Boq**

Boq left the strange man's cabin with a nervous feeling in his gut. He hadn't liked the way the man had talked to him. Boq wasn't sure if he could trust this stranger, it seemed that this man would do anything and everything to get what he wanted. Still, Boq was on his side, he wanted to find the Witch just as much as this strange man, though perhaps for a different reason.

As Boq continued through the forest he thought for a moment about Glinda. Her words kept repeating themselves in his mind, and Boq couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for his motivations to find Elphaba. She had been his friend, once, but it seemed like those days were long gone. Boq remembered the fist time he had ever seen Elphaba. It had been the first day at Shiz, and he had tried to talk to Glinda, but, as usual, she hadn't really acknowledged that he was there. Boq had looked up, and seen this strange girl run into the large hall where they were all gathered. Boq had done a double take, making sure he had seen right. This girl had green skin...everyone seemed to had noticed becasue they were all staring at her. The girl had tried to make a joke of it, but Boq could see in her eyes the sadness, and maybe even shame at being an outcast of a sort.

Boq shook his head, trying to make the memories go away. That had been a long time ago, and things had changed since them.

"Like me." Boq said, looking down at his silver hands. A look of anger flashed in his eyes as he clenched his fists. Without another word, Boq strode off down a small dit road, towards the large wooden building that housed the transportation devices. Boq opened the large door, stepping inside and looking around. Boq moved towards one of the devices, which looked like a large cart with some buttons across the front and a long antenna extending from the back. Another invention of the Wizard's before his sudden disappearance in Oz.

Boq climbed in, and punched a few buttons in a certain sequence to turn the machine on. With a low hum, the tik tok car came to life. Boq hit a few more buttons in order to give the location he was headed to, then flipped a small lever on the side of the car. There were a few clicks and squeaks, then the car began to move, heading at a quick pace towards the castle at Kiamo Ko.

As the car moved along, picking up speed as it went, Boq suddenly heard the Scarecrow's words in his head, and a chill ran down his spine.

_"The question is...what has happened to you?"_

Boq shook his head, hearing the sadness and pain in the Scarecrow's voice all over again at the memory. What had happened to him? Boq had never before been one to look for revenge, but then again he had never been turned into a man of tin either. With frustration Boq tried to remember what had happened in the moments before he had woken up as the Tin Man. Those moments had always seemed fuzzy to him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what had happened. Boq decided to go back a little farther in his memory, hoping that those earlier events would help him remember the later ones.

He had gone into the room because Nessarose had called him in for something. She was always doing that, calling Boq in for needless reasons just so she could see him. She had always seemed to be...well...a little obsessed with him, ever since Boq had asked her to that dance at the Ozdust Ballroom. He remembered asking if she needed anything else, he had tried to be polite and called her "miss." But she insisted he call her Nessarose, but Boq had never been comfortable using her name once she had taken him with her to Colwen Grounds.

Boq had left the room for a moment, if only to get away from Nessa for a moment. He remembered his anger at her for how she had been steadily restricting the rights of the Munchkins, all to keep him with her. Yes, he remembered now she had said that herself, a little later when Boq had come into the room again. This was where it always got fuzzy. He remembered entering the room...and seeing...what did he see? Then, suddenly, an image came to him. A tall figure standing in the room next to Nessa's wheelchair...a tall pointed hat, a black cloak...and green skin.

"Elphaba." She had been there, he remembered now. He suddenly heard his voice shouting at her, accusing them both of being Wicked. He had explained to Elphaba what Nessarose was doing to him, to all of the Munchkins. Nessarose hadn't even tried to deny it. But then...Boq put his head in his hands as the next event slowly trickled into his brain. Nessarose was...standing up...he could see her smiling face as she walked towards him. Boq remembered telling her that he was leaving, that he had to see Glinda before she married that Winkie Prince Fiyero. And now Boq could see the pain on Nessa's face, the anger flicker across her eyes. She turned and grabbed a book out of Elphaba's hands that Boq hadn't noticed before. She started saying something...but Boq couldn't understand what she said.

Boq gripped his hair, struggling to remember more...but nothing else came. The same fuzziness and uncertainty clouded his mind from that moment on. What had Nessa been reading? Boq had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he was afraid to think more on the subject.

Soon, Boq could see the ruined castle of Kiamo Ko. He turned off the small contraption he was riding and walked towards the entrance. Boq went around to the side door of the castle, which was splintered and broken from the guard's break in. Boq squeezed around the debris and went up the narrow stone steps. As he entered one of the main rooms he drew his breath in sharp. The guards had trashed the room, objects and litter thrown every where. The floor was covered by books, paper, maps, anything that had been on the shelves.

"They didn't have to do this." Boq shook his head, looking at the damage. Yes, he understood that they had been trying to do their job, but still...there was no need to destroy the castle. Boq walked through a few more rooms, looking for anything that might be a clue. But they were all like the first room, things strewn everywhere making it impossible to see something that might be usefull. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Boq noticed a small staircase leading upwards that he hand't noticed before. It looked as though it had been concealed behind a small book shelf that the guards had overturned. Boq walked up the stairs, his heart beating strangely in his chest. When he reached the top, he pushed open a small wooden door and entered the tower. It was a fairly big circular room, with a good sized desk and large trunk near one side of it. In the center, right next to the window, was a small brass telescope. Boq walked further into the room, wondering who it belonged to. It didin't seem likely that the Scarecrow was interested in astrology.

Boq looked over the papers on the desk, sketches of animals and different tik tok creatures covered the pages, accompianed by small, cramped writing. Boq tried to make out the notes, but the writing was too small for him to read. Boq turned next to the chest on the floor beside the desk. He knelt down, wincing as he heard himself squeak, making a mental reminder to oil himself as soon as possible. Lifting the lid of the wooden trunk, Boq saw nothing but fabric inside. He reached in and pulled out a wad of black, which was actually a cloak. There was another cloak in the trunk, also black, along with a black scarf and black gloves. Boq was about to put everything back when he noticed one more item at the bottom of the trunk. He picked up a small, rolled up black piece of fabric that had been in one corner of the trunk. It seemed to small to be an article of clothing, and as he held it in his hands Boq realized the fabric was wrapped around something. Unwinding the black fabric, Boq watched as a small, green bottle was revealed, its color made even brighter by the black that surrounded it. It looked oddly familiar to Boq...the sun coming through the window made it shine with an almost errie light. Suddenly he remembered Glinda mentioning something about a green bottle that Elphaba kept. She had told him that she wondered why it was so special to her. Boq felt a shiver go down his spine as he stared at the bottle. Did this mean Elphaba was alive?

_**There you go! Sorry it took so long to update. I missed you all while I was gone! Please Read and Review! Thank you!**_


	16. Chapter 16Fiyero

_**All righty, time for another Fiyero chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**_

**Chapter 16: Fiyero**

Fiyero did not see the Mysterious man again the following day. The only person that Fiyero saw all day was the guard standing outside his door. Fiyero looked around his small cell, hoping for some means of escape, but he was disappointed. He lay on his cot for most of the day, worring about Elphaba. He hoped that she had not been caught, though if she had been, Fiyero suspected he would have seen her by now.

As night fell Fiyero saw another guard come down the hallway, he whispered something urgently in the other guard's ear, and they both hurried off down the long corridor. Fiyero sat up, looking around. Not a sound echoed down the way, and no other guard came to his cell.

As he glanced up and down the hallway again, Fiyero heard another set of footsteps, though these were lighter and more hurried. A moment later, Glinda appeared, wearing a bright yellow dress and running towards his cell. She quickly unwrapped a small bundle she had in her hands, stealing a glance up the hall.

"I told them there was an intruder in my room." She said breathlessly, glancing up at Fiyero as she spoke. "I had to get this food to you, I heard that they were trying to starve you to get information." She quickly pushed the bread and pieces of meat into Fiyero's cell, casting another glance behind her.

"I'm not sure when I can get down her again, but don't worry, I'll find a way. There has to be som..." But Glinda's voice trailed off as the sound of a distant explosion reached her ears.

"Oh no! What could that be?" She stood up, as another loud crash echoed into the jail.

"I'll be back I promise, don't tell them anything." Glinda turned and, with one last look at Fiyero, hurried out of the dungeon, towards the source of the noise.

Fiyero gripped the bars of his cell, wondering what was going on outside the dungeon. Suddenly he heard a door open, and saw a dark figure hurring towards his end of the hall. He heard banging on the door leading outside of the dungeon, and could hear muffled voices shouting to be let in.

He thought he heard a muffled curse coming from the cloaked figure, and saw it stop in the middle of the floor. The figure turned towards the door, where the voices were becoming louder, and the creaking of the hinges showd the weakness of the door.

"Fiyero get down!"

Without questioning the figure, Fiyero threw himself on the floor, his arms over his head as the figure thew its arms up in the air just as the door broke open.

Fiyero heard a shouted mix of words echo from the cloaked figure's mouth just as the guards came into the dungeon. Odd white smoke filled the air, and Fiyero could hear the guards caughing and choking as they fought their way forward. Fiyero heard the bars of his cell creak, then suddenly a strong hand was helping him to his feet.

"Stay low!"

Fiyero did what he was told, occasionally looking back over his shoulder at the now smoke-filled hallway. Someone screamed behind him as he and the figure turned the corner, hurring towards a door at the end of the dark corridor. They had nearly reached it as the figure mumbled something in a strange tongue, as the door in front of them was forced open.

Fiyero was pushed foward, into the light of the setting sun. He turned around, hearing a gasp from somewhere inside. There, shilloetted in the light from the other hallway, stood a figure in yellow, staring openmouthed towards him. But he realized that it was the figure in front of him she was staring at.

The figure whirled around, black cloak flying, grabbing Fiyero's wrist with strong fingers and propelling him forward, the door closing behind them with a crash.

They ran, leaving behind them the chaos that they had created. As they plunged into the forest Fiyero stumbled, only to be helped up by the figure. They hurried on, the tree growth becoming thicker and thicker overhead, until the forest was as dark as midnight. Soon, when they were in the very heart of the forest, they stopped, panting in a clearing beside a tree.

"Thanks...Elphaba."

The figure turned around, lowering its hood. Elphaba's emerald face grinned at Fiyero as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I couldn't leave you in there."

"You could have been caught Elphie..."

"I know, but you really didn't expect me to leave you in the hands of that strange man did you?"

Fiyero had nothing to say to that, he had always known that Elphaba would come. He smiled and took one of her hands.

"I'm glad you did."

The air around them grew colder and the wind picked up. Elphaba took out a black bag she had concealed inside her cloak and pulled out another black cape. She handed it to Fiyero.

"Thought you might need it."

They sat down together underneath a large oak tree, the stars glittering overhead.

"The castle is completely trashed, I don't know where else to go." Elphaba whispered, looking over at Fiyero.

"We'll find somewhere, but Elphaba...I think...I think Glinda might have seen you."

Elphaba looked away for a moment, then answered in a soft voice.

"I don't think she did...I mean...I'm almost certain..." She sighed, and Fiyero could tell she was worried.

"Don't worry, I'm sure if she did...well...at least she knows."

They did not talk about Glinda the rest of the night, and Fiyero was content to simply sit beside Elphaba, glad she was alive. But still, at the corner of his mind, he could not shake the memory of Glinda's expression as they had escaped from the prison.


	17. Mysterious Man

_**I am so sorry for the delay! I have had Choreography Camp with our second Choreographer to learn the rest of our show for Show Chior. But that's done now, and am free to update! Woo-hoo! We haven't heard from the Mysterious Man in a while...**_

**Chapter 17: Mysterious Man**

He had been watching through a small window in his cabin, watching the Tin Man start one of the contraptions and head off towards the abandoned castle. The man smirked, his eyes glowing. There really was no need to keep Boq around much longer...the man had grown weary of his failed attempts to please him, and his infatuation with Glinda the Good had not helped Boq uncover any useful information. Yes...his time was growing short.

The strange man's thoughts now turned to their new captive, the Scarecrow. He had heard of him of course, knew he helped vanquish the Wicked Witch. And yet...something was not quite right about him. He could not have possibly been living in that castle alone. No, there was someone with him, someone he was trying to protect. Could it be that this Scarecrow knew something of the Witch of The West?

His fists clenched as he thought in frustration of the Scarecrow refusing to give him any information. If he would not obey willingly, well...there were ways of making a man talk, even a man made of straw. The mysterious man sneered in the darkness, no matter what it took, he would get that information from the Scarecrow.

Suddenly he heard footsteps outside, then a wild pounding on the door. The man cursed, going to the door and unlocking it. One of the Ozian guards fell over the threshold, panting like mad.

"What is it?...Tell me!" The man leaned down and grabbed the man by the collar, yanking him off the ground. The guard's eyes went wide with fear, and his hands scrambled weakly trying to loosen the mysterious man's grip.

"Sir...there is...an incident...an exploson...by the jail..."

"What!" The mysterious man's voice was ice cold, his eyes blazing.

"Please...we were...caught...off guard...Miss Glinda...there was an intruder...in her chambers...we were only gone a moment..."

Suddenly a loud booming noise echoed through the forest. The guard's breathing excellerated, he tried to gather his legs under him and stand. The mysterious man shoved him to the floor, where the guard lay gasping for breath.

"Fool! How dare you leave your post! You answer to no one but me!"

With that, the mysterious man stepped over the guard and out the doorway, heading towards the sounds of the explosions. "Miss Glinda was it? Well...I will deal with her." When he reached the jail he saw smoke curling up from the woods beyond, could smell burning wood and leaves. Great black marks were etched into the lawn, the grass burned away. He could hear the guards yelling at each other, could hear the thump of bodies trying to force open a door.

He turned the corner, and saw his guards throwing all their weight against the door leading to the dungeon. The man cursed, dragging a large fallen branch over to the door. The guards immediately caught on and picked it up, heaving it against the door as a battering ram. He could hear the wood beginning to splinter, could feel the hinges giving way. Finally, with one last thrust, the door burst open.

The mysterious man glimpsed the swirl of a black cloak, then white smoke filled the air, burning his eyes, his throat. He could barely see anything, just shadows and shapes. As he fought his way forward, he heard the distinctive sound of high heels on the floor behind him. Whirling around, he groped through the smoke, his hand finally grasping a shoulder. He heard a high pitched scream, and suddenly a hand slashed him across the face. He cried out and released Glinda, his hand going up to his face. When he brought his hand away, it was red with blood. The man felt Glinda push past him, could hear the chaos still ensuing as the smoke obscured his vison.

He pushed past the guards, cursing and shoving them out of his way. He heard a gasp from up ahead, then the thud of a door closing. Finally the smoke cleared a bit, and he could see down the hallway now. The door to the last cell was open, and the Scarecrow was gone. The man swore under his breath, turning the corner and coming to a stop. Glinda was standing there, her back to him, absolutely still. She put her hand up against the wall, facing the back door.

As quietly as he could, the man crept up behind her, grabbing her forearm and forcing her to face him. She gasped again and pulled her other hand back. But the man was prepared this time, he caught her wrist with his other hand, glaring at her.

"You...you are responsible for this."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Glinda's voice came out breathy and frightened.

"There was no intruder in your room was there? You were helping him! And now he's gone!"

He pulled her closer to him, sneering as she struggled to get loose of his grip.

"It would be in your best interest not to interfere in my business again, Glinda The Good. The consequences are not worth the risk. He may have escaped, but this is not over. I am closer to the truth than you know Miss Glinda...and I am losing my patience with you!" He pushed her away from him suddenly, so she stumbled and had to grab at the wall to keep from falling.

"If you interfere again, I _will_ deal with you, in my own way. Glinda the Good or not." He turned on his heel and strode away, shoving the guards out of his path. Once outside he hurried towards the guard's quarters, going around to the back entrance. He rapped on the door three times, waiting. A gruff voice spoke from inside.

"Enter." The man pushed the door open, stepping into a small, dingy room. Rasher, the new captain of the guard, sat at an old table, picking his fingernails with his knife.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, looking up at the mysterious man.

"I want you to sent your best group to the abandoned castle were we captured the Scarecrow. There is someone there who needs to be...taken care of."

Rasher smirked, sitting up straighter at the prospect of a killing.

"And may I ask why he needs to be ...'taken care of'?"

" His services are no longer of any use to me. He knows too much to be allowed to live. I think you know exactly how to do it."

Rasher nodded, an evil smile growing across his face.

"Indeed."


	18. Chapter 18 Glinda

_**Alrighties! Time for a Glinda Chapter! Woot! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing! **_

**Chapter 18: Glinda**

Glinda turned as she heard a loud boom from outside of the dungeon.

"Oh no! what could that be?" She quickly turned back to the Scarecrow, her hands gripping his on the bars.

"I'll be back I promise. Don't tell them anything!"

With a worried last glance at him, Glinda hurried up the empty corridor. As she slowly pushed open the door she gasped as another explosion rumbled across the still air. Glinda had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, something big was happening, but Glinda didn't know what the consequences of it would be.

She ran towards the castle in which she resided, meaning to ask someone there what was going on. But then another boom erupted, and Glinda pitched forward, caught off balance. Glinda could smell the grass burning and could hear shouts and the pounding of many feet running. Glinda pushed herself upright, brushing off her dress. A guard was hurrying past her and Glinda grabbed his arm.

"Please! Sir what is going on?" The man cast his worried gaze on her for a moment.

"Something is attacking us, though I don't know what. It appears to be magic of some kind, though we can not tell where the attack is coming from." The man pulled his arm from Glinda's grasp and hurried into the frey with the others. Glinda sighed in frustration and worry, staring around her at the chaos that was ensuing.

Suddenly she heard a loud thumping noise coming from the back of the Dungeon. Running around quickly Glinda caught a glimpse of the door breaking down and the guards following a tall figure into the room. Glinda hurried in after them, white smoke engulfing her the minute she stepped into the doorway. Glinda started caughing, trying to hurry forward into the room, her arms outstreatched.

As she tried to fight her way though the strange smoke she felt cold, sharp fingers grab her shoulder and whirl her around. Glinda screamed and lashed out with her hand towards whoever had grabbed her. She heard a man cry out in pain and the hand let go of her. Glinda pushed past him as quickly as she could, hurrying to get to the back of the dungeon to where the scarecrow was being held.

As she got closer to the back of the room she could see the smoke was beginning to get thinner. Glinda heard two sets of footsteps running away towards the back of the dungeon. Glinda followed, trying to see who it was. Suddenly, she could make out a soft chink of light in the wall, then a door opened and someone was pushed through. As Glinda held up a hand to shield her eyes she saw a second figure whirl towards her. The sun was shining in behind the figure, so Glinda could really only see an outline of the person. But as the figure turned, Glinda thought she caught a glimpse of the person's face. Glinda gasped out loud, her hand going to her heart, the very blood in her veins had suddenly turned ice cold. The figure's face had been green. Glinda could see two black eyes flashing out at her, then the figure turned on its heel and disappeared, the door slamming shut.

It was like time had been frozen, and everything else had faded away into nothingness. Glinda simply stood there, stunned. Yes she had only caught a brief glimpse of the person's face, and it could have been a trick of the light...

Suddenly Glinda felt hands on her arms, spinning her around. She pulled back her hand to strike whoever had grabbed her, but another hand lashed out and grabbed hold of her wrist. Glinda struggled, breathing hard, suddenly realizing that the man who held her was the same Mysterious man who had visited her in her room. She noticed that he had three long red scratches on the left side of his face, still bleeding slightly.

"You...you are responsible for this!"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Glinda stammered, her mind reeling from what she had just seen and struggling to focus on the situation at hand.

"There was no intruder in your room was there? You were helping him! And now he's gone!"

The man pulled Glinda closer towards him, Glinda struggling to get out of his vice-like grip. He sneered down at her, and Glinda stared up at him, fire in her eyes.

"It would be in your best interest not to interfere in my business again, Glinda The Good. The consequences are not worth the risk. He may have escaped, but this is not over. I am closer to the truth than you know Miss Glinda...and I am losing my patience with you!"

The man suddenly shoved Glinda away from him roughly. Glinda stumbled and had to grab at the wall to keep from falling. His voice was ice cold now, dripping with hatred.

"If you interfere again, I _will_ deal with you, in my own way. Glinda the Good or not."

Glinda bristled as he turned and walked away, shoving the guards from his path. Glinda slowly stood up, her fists clenched in anger. Glinda turned and walked out of the back door, needing to go someplace to be alone...to think.

Glinda hurried towards the center of the Emerald City. There was a large meuseum there that was built out of emeralds, much like the Wizard's palace had been. Glinda hurried though the revolving doors, her shoes echoing on the marble floors as she climbed up stairs until she found the room she had been looking for.

It was a smaller room than some of the others, simple. From behind glass casings stood different objects made entirely of glass. Hundreds of little glass shards of all colors and shapes hung suspended from the ceiling. The sun from the windows shone through, illuminating the room in its own brilliant light.

This had been Elphaba's favorite exhibit. She had once shown Glinda a small glass oval that she had had since she was child, made by a glass blower named Turtle Heart. It was an odd thing, green, like Elphaba, yet it seemed to almost have a magic all its own.

Glinda sank down at the base of a white pillar, staring around at the many colors made from the light's reflection in the colored glass. She put her head in her hands, gripping her hair in frustration. What had she seen? It could have simply been an illusion, a trick of her eye making it seem like the woman had had a green face. And yet...there was something about her eyes, the quick shadow of a nose that was so familiar to Glinda.

"Elphie...it couldn't have been you can it? You would never leave and not tell me...never..." Glinda felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she realized that Elphaba had hidden things from her before. The romance with Fiyero for example...but still...

_No! If Elphaba were alive she would have told me, I'm sure she would have._

But there was a tiny part of her that wasn't so certain.

"Elphaba..." Glinda whispered to the glass "...what happened to you?"


	19. Chapter 19 Boq

_**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. School has started, along with the musical this year. I have the lead in the show, so I've been busy with rehearsals and homework. But I will try and update as much as I can. But it might not be frequent updating. Anyway, I think it's time for another Boq chapter!**_

**Chapter 19: Boq**

Boq stared at the small green bottle in his hands. He could hear Glinda's voice in his head as she reaccounted her story about Elphaba.

"_I noticed it the second night that we were roommates. I had just turned off the lights and was staring up at the ceiling. I turned slightly towards Elphaba's side of the room, and noticed her looking at something in her hand. As the moonlight came through the window, I could see that it was small green bottle. It blended with her skin, which might have been why I it was so hard to see at first. She was looking at it, a kind of sad look on her face. Then she saw me watching her and quickly stuck the bottle under her pillow. She turned so her back was to me and didn't say a word. That bottle seemed important to her, but I don't know why."_

Boq shook his head, his finger lightly tracing the shape of the bottle. There was small amount of liquid in the bottom, and Boq wondered what it was for. He wrapped it up in the black fabric again, about to put it back when he changed his mind, and slipped into his side bag instead. As Boq was replacing the items into the trunk, he thought he heard a noise from downstairs. He stiffined, listening intently. But when he heard nothing else, Boq shrugged it off, thinking it was his imagination getting the best of him.

He stood and went over to the window, beside the small telescope. He looked out the window, amazed at what a view he had of the area. He could see the Gilikin Forest streatched out to his right and left, extending far in front of him. Boq bent and placed his eye to the telescope, twisting the knob to focus the lense. He could see that it was trained on the horiszon, and Boq could just make out a small bright green structure in the distance.

"The Emerald City." He breathed, wondering why the telescope was aimed at the city.

Suddenly, Boq felt a presence behind him. Before he could turn a horrible pain expolded on the back of his head. Boq groaned and slipped to the floor, his hands on his head. Looking up, he could see through watery eyes the figures of two men, standing over him. As his vision cleared, he could see that one of them had a very gruff look about him. He was standing in front of a smaller, muscular man, who was holding a large club in one hand. The man in front sneered at Boq, his teeth were yellow and worn.

"Well, what do we have here? You have to learn not to stick your nose where it isn't wanted." The man advanced on Boq, the same horrible sneer on his face. He snapped his fingers, and the man with the club suddenly sprung forward. He brought his weapon down, and Boq just barely got his arm in front of his face to block the blow. Even so, his arm throbbed with pain from the club.

Boq struggled to his feet, clenching his fists and suddenly remembering he had left his axe in the tic tok contraption.

"What are you talking about? I was sent here on specific orders!"

The man shook his head, and Boq saw he was holding a very sharp knife in his hand.

"So was I. To take care of you. Apparently you are not doing a sufficient enough job to satisfy your boss."

Boq felt his blood run cold, and his back hit the wall of the small circular room. The men were advancing. Boq swept the room quickly with his eyes. He let his eyes go back to the man in front of him. They locked gazes, and for a moment the men stopped moving forward. Boq heard the man let out a small grunt of staisfaction, then he saw his hand whip forward.

Boq ducked instinctively, hearing something whistle past his head. His hand grabbed the first thing he could think of, the green bottle inside his side bag. Holding onto the black fabric, Boq swung his arm up in an arc above his head, whipping his wrist forward at the last moment. The bottle spun out of the fabric, heading right for the men. The man with the club dropped backward, shielding his face, but the man in front was not so lucky. The bottle caught him in the side of the head, and shattered. The small ammount of liquid inside spilled onto the floor, leaving a dark green stain.

Boq took off running, pushing past the men and wrenching the door open. His breath was coming in gasps as he raced down the stairs. He heard shouts of anger from behind him, and quickly shoved the wooden bookshelf a little more in front of the dooor. He heard the men's voices as they collided with the bookshelf. Boq smiled to himself as he hurried down more stairs, flinging open the door into the outside. He didn't bother trying to start the car, he grabbed his axe and headed into the Gilikin forest, his chest heaving.

Finally, after an eternity of running, Boq slowed down, his hands on his thighs, struggling to draw breath. Just to be safe, Boq drew a little farther into the trees, into the thickest part of the foilage. With a great sigh he sank to the ground, his head in his hands. _What had all that been about?_

He realized with a start that the mysterious man had decided that Boq was no longer an ally to him, and sent the men to kill Boq. He wondered what had happened to initiate such an attack. Boq wondered if the man had wanted him dead because he was useless, or because he was too close to the truth.

Boq stared down at his hands, realizing that he had not let go of the black fabric that had held the green bottle. He fingered the cloth, thinking.

_Is Elphaba alive? And if she is, how did this man find out? _

Boq remembered that the castle at Kiamo Ko had been totally abandonded for years, no one had ventured inside. Yet when Boq had been inside the circular room, nothing had dust on it. Everything had been used reccently. Even inside the trunk, it had been dust free. Boq was almost certain that the green bottle had been Elphaba's.

Boq wasn't sure what he thought now. The mysterious man obviously had gotten this information about Elphaba somewhere, but Boq didn't know where. And he felt a twinge of fear thinking what the man would do if Elphaba was alive, and she was found. No matter how angry Boq was at Elphaba for what he had become, he worried what would happen if the mysterious man was right, and caught her. Boq looked up through the trees, wondering what was going on, and what the truth was. Boq hoped that if Elphaba was alive, she would find another way to escape from this mysterious man, before it was too late.

_**There you go! I am sorry again for the delay. Not sure how often I can update with the musical now going on. But I'll get on as much as I can. Please read and review! **_


	20. Chapter 20 Elphaba

_**New chapter time! I hope you enjoyed the last installment of the story. This next chapter is an Elphaba chapter. Hope you like it!**_

**Chapter 20: Elphaba**

Elphaba opened her eyes with a start, sitting up suddenly. At first it was too dark to tell where she was, then, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Elphaba remembered she was in the Gillikin Forest. Elphaba pushed her hair out of her face, wondering what had woken her up. She had a strange feeling that something was wrong...she couldn't explain it. It was almost as if she could feel that another person was in trouble. The danger didn't feel close, but it felt strong. Elphaba sighed, wishing that for once in her life she could understand why she seemed to have gifts that no one else had.

Elphaba leaned back against the tree trunk, feeling the cool night breeze on her face. Beside her, Fiyero was still sleeping, his cloak pulled around his shoulders. Elphaba smiled softly to herself. There had been a moment, inside that jail, when Elphaba thought that they had been caught at last. The instant before the smoke had appeared and the guards had broken down the door Elphaba had been a tiny bit afraid. Afraid that if her plan didn't work, it would be the end for both of them. She already felt guilty for Fiyero's form, if it hadn't been for her, his life would still be perfect, uncomplicated.

"Stop it." She told herself fiercely, shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts. "You can't change the past, you can only move forward." Elphaba stared up at the stars that she could see through the trees of the forest. She saw a bright star suddenly fall from the sky, shooting across the inky blackness. Elphaba could almost hear Glinda's vocie in her mind, telling Elphaba how lucky a shooting star was. Elphaba remembered that Glinda had wished for a new pair of shoes on the star they had seen together so long ago.

Suddenly, Elphaba heard a noise from somewhere fairly close to where they were hiding. She stiffened immediately, listening intently. It sounded like two people, possibly more, both males judging from their gruff, authoratative voices. Elphaba leaned down slowly, and clapped her hand over Fiyero's mouth.

"Mmmpffff!" He jumped, struggling momentarily in Elphaba's grip.

"Shhh! It's me! Don't make a sound, someone's coming through the forest." Fiyero immediately quieted, sitting straight and listening hard. Elphaba put her hood up over her head, making sure her face was covered. The voices of the two men echoed across the still night air.

"How could you let him get away! He was right in front of you!"

"Well, you weren't much help either, how was I to know he'd throw that glass thing at you?"

"We shouldn't have bothered the niceities, we should have killed him when we had the chance."

Elphaba felt her blood run cold, they had tried to kill someone, but whoever had been their victim must have gotten away.

"What do you think the boss will say when he finds out Rasher?"

"We are not going to inform him of this little mishap. Why do you think we're treking through this hideodious forest in the first place? We're going to find the Tin Man and finish our job. He can't have gotten far, we'll hear his squeaking from a mile away."

Elphaba stiffled a gasp, the men were after Boq! Elphaba's mind raced, Boq had been helping the mysterious man, he had been trying to find Elphaba, to capture her. But now it sounded like the mysterious man had turned on Boq, but why?

"Elphaba!" Fiyero said suddenly, gripping her hand tightly in his.

"They're coming this way! Quick!" They both stood, quickly moving a little further into the forest and ducking behind a massive tree trunk. Fiyero wrapped his arms around Elphaba, shielding her with his cloak. Elphaba ducked her head into Fiyero's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Soon, the voices were even closer, it sounded like the two men were in the clearing where Elphaba and Fiyero had just been.

"As soon as the Tin Man is out of the way," the man called Rasher continued, "nothing will stop us from finding the Witch."

Elphaba froze, hardly daring to breathe.

"But...isn't she dead?" The other voice said uneasily, "she was melted by that strange girl...I remember..."

"You remember wrong! This man is certain that The Wicked Witch is alive, and he is determined to find her. Perhaps the Tin Man will tell us something of where she is before we finish him."

"He didn't say anything up at Kiamo Ko,...I don't know how we'd..."

"I will MAKE him talk, do you understand me? Now shut up and keep walking! I want to get this over with before dawn."

The voices were now slowly fading away into the darkness. Elphaba and Fiyero remained frozen, listening for any other sounds. Finally, Elphaba sighed, and straightened up, looking in the direction the men's voices had moved in.

"Fiyero,..."

"I know, they're trying to find Boq. They were also at the castle..."

"We have to go back there. They might have found something."

"Elphaba, are you sure? What if there are others waiting?"

"It sounded like these two were sent on their own, I don't think anyone is at the castle now."

Fiyero looked skeptical, but finally nodded.

"All right, but we have to be careful."

Elphaba and Fiyero travelled through the dark forest, keeping well within the thickest trees and foilage just in case the two men circled back again. Finally, just as dawn was breaking, Elphaba caught sight of the castle. Moving around towards the back, Elphaba darted up a small stairway, pushing open a small wooden door and ducking inside. Fiyero followed, pulling the door shut behind him and twising the lock. Elphaba removed her hood, looking around the castle. They were in the cellar, but as they ascended the ladder, Elphaba sensed that something was different.

The main room they were in now seemed even more disasterous than before. The shelves were strewn on the floor, papers fluttered in the breeze. Elphaba saw that the door to the tower had been shattered, like it had been hacked open with an axe. Elphaba went to the door, pushing the heavy bookcase away from the opening. The door was splitered and destroyed. Only the bottom portion of the door remained in the frame. Carefully Elphaba climbed over the shattered wood frame and began to climb the circular staircase. As she pushed open the door to the tower she gasped.

This had been the room that Elphaba had made sure that no one would get into. All of her things, her books, her papers, her desk now lay in ruins around the room. The telescope lay shattered on the floor, and her chests and shelves were stripped of their contents. Papers, books, pictures, debris littered the floor, moving slightly in the breeze from the window. Elphaba kelt down, picking up a torn page of paper that had a diagram of a monkey with wings on it.

"Elphaba...?" Fiyero came into the room, his voice trailing off as he saw the destruction. One wall had a large gash cut into it, as if someone had taken a knife to it. Fiyero slowly knelt next to Elphaba, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Elphaba..."

"He did this. That man...this is all his fault!" She turned to face Fiyero, her eyes blazing.

"Why does he want to find me? How does he even know I'm alive?" Elphaba whispered. "Ugh! Darn tears...how they burn!" Elphaba brought her hands to her eyes, inhaling sharply as she quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes. She stood up abrubtly, going to the window. She picked up the fallen telescope, now without its lens. Her green fingers, lingered over the slender instrument. Her eyes fell to the floor and Fiyero heard her gasp slightly.

"Oh no."

"What is it?" Fiyero asked, worried by the look on Elphaba's face. She knelt slowly, placing her palm on the smooth floor. Fiyero looked down and saw tiny pieces of glass, glittering on the floor. He picked one up and realized it was green glass.

"My mother's bottle..." Elphaba whispered, tracing a small green stain on the floor with her finger. "I never could figure out what was in it. The label had been ripped off. The only thing I could make out was _Miracle Eli- _I always wondered why my mother had it. It didn't seem to be the kind of thing that she would have kept." Elphaba picked up the tiny fragments of the emerald glass, placing them in a small pouch and putting her side bag. She stodd up, sweeping her hair from her face and picking up her pointed hat from a secret compartment in the wall that had remained undiscovered. She regarded the hat for a moment, then, with a look of determination, placed it on her head. Elphaba looked at Fiyero, fire back in her eyes.

"We need to find Boq."

_**There you go! I hope everyone is enjoying the story! I have a long weekend this week, so I'll try and update over this break! Son Of A Witch came out the other day! (It's the sequel to Wicked), go out and buy it if you haven't already! Please read and review!**_


	21. UPDATE

_**Hello all! First of all, let me say that this is not another chapter in Look To The Western Sky. Not to worry, there will be some updates, but I thought I'd just let everyone know why I haven't updated in so long. Second of all, I just want to apologize to all of you for being so slow in my updates. I am a very busy person, and don't get a lot of time to sit down and think out my stories. (My stories kind of form as I write them, I don't have everything planned out beforehand.) I am so so so sooooooooo sorry! (dispenses gifts and candy to appease you all). Since the last time I updated, rehearsals started for our musical, Crazy For You. I got the lead of Polly Baker, so I was at every rehearsal. It was a big tap dancing show, so the rehearsals were more frequent and intense than they have been for other shows. After the musical was finished my show choir had to get ready for our first performance of the year along with the show choir camp we put on every year. We had emergency rehearsals with our band and crew, costume fittings, and then had Kid's Camp for three days. After that was over with we got into our competition one act, this year it's Shakespeare's Macbeth. We only had about 13 rehearsals in all, so we had to get going. Then I had to prepare for an audition at Oklahoma City University (which was last Saturday). I was gone the rest of the week in Oklahoma, St. Louis (to visit Webster College) and then to Kansas City to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving. But I will try and update at least on the weekends to get this story rolling again. I'm halfway done with Son Of A Witch right now, and I have a few more ideas from re-reading Wicked and reading The Grimmerie. I apologize once again and beg for your forgiveness! Tomorrow or Monday (depending on how long the compy takes to update the site) there will be another chapter up for Look To The Western Sky. Thank you so much! I'm sorry again!**_

_**Greengirl13**_


	22. Chapter 21 Glinda

_**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for being so patient with me! Here is that chapter that I promised! I think it's about time we caught up with Glinda again.**_

**Chapter 21**

Glinda wasn't sure how long she had sat huddled along inside the museum. She took a deep breath, leaning her head against the white pillar that she had been sitting against. The sun had gone down, and the shadows had disappeared. Glinda stood up slowly, running her hands through her curls. With a shaky sigh Glinda left the museum, heading back towards the palace.

Glinda now felt like she was a bit in shock at the thought of Elphaba being alive. Most of her felt that it would be impossible, she had seen Elphie melt. But there was a small part of her that wasn't sure. Glinda shook her head, annoyed at herself for making such a big deal out of something that was probably only a figment of her imagination.

As Glinda entered her room, she shivered, feeling a slight breeze on her face. Her window was open, the curtains swaying in the wind.

"That's odd...I don't remember leaving the window open." Glinda went to the window, her hand pausing for a moment on the frame. Glinda could see the many stars glittering in the inky blackness above the Emerald City. Glinda leaned her arms on the windowsill, gazing up at the sky, remembering another time long ago when she had looked at those stars from a window at Shiz, with Elphaba. Glinda gasped as a shooting star fell across the sky. A slight chill traveled up her spine as she watched the star's progress. She and Elphaba had seen a shooting star that night at Shiz. Elphaba closed her eyes, picturing Elphaba's face.

"Star light...star bright...first star I see tonight." Glinda's voice was barely more than a whisper as she recited the rhyme. "Wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...I wish..." Her voice broke for a moment, and Glinda had to swallow before she continued. "I wish I knew what happened to Elphaba." Glinda finished softly, wiping a single tear from her cheek.

With a shake of her head, Glinda pulled the window closed, fastening the latch. She was being silly...reawakening old wounds that Glinda had thought had finally healed. As she turned from the window she got an odd feeling that she was being watched. Glinda nervously rubbed her hands on her arms, trying to shake the feeling. She reached out her hand to open the closet, but paused, remembering what Elphaba had said to her that horrible night when she was melted. She had just handed Glinda the Grimmerie.

"_Elphaba...you know I can't read this."_

"_Well...you're going to have to learn. Because now it's up to you."_

Glinda straightened up, determination flowing through her veins. She was not going to let Elphie down. Glinda turned and shoved her bed towards the wall, grunting with the effort. She sat down on the floor, prying up the loose floorboards with her fingers. There, amid the cobwebs and dust, was the Grimmerie. Glinda picked it gently up from its hiding place, her fingers tracing the leather cover.

"Well...here goes nothing."

Glinda opened the cover, carefully turning the aged pages. The paper was filled with odd symbols and letters, written every which way. When Glinda looked at the pages the words seem to move before her eyes, rearranging themselves in a new pattern as she watched. Glinda shook her head and turned another page. In the crease of book was a single, green feather...Elphaba's quill from school. Glinda picked it up carefully, feeling the soft airiness of the feather against her palm. This page had drawings as well as words. Though Glinda wasn't too sure what all the drawings were supposed to be. They seemed to be off animals...or was it Animals? There were a few of strange contraptions with many gears and wheels, with tiny cramped writing beside the pictures. Glinda wondered why Elphaba had marked this page, if she hadn't just stuck her quill into the book to keep her place.

As Glinda stared the words, willing herself to read them, a menacing shadow fell over her and the Grimmerie. Glinda felt her blood run cold as she heard breathing behind her. Before she could turn around Glinda felt a hand on her shoulder, the fingers digging into her skin. A cold, harsh voice whispered in her ear.

"Well Miss Glinda, it seems like you have finally become of use to me."

"You!" Glinda realized it was the mysterious man, and without another thought she whirled around, stranding up and attempting to dash past him all at once. She almost made it, but the man was faster. He reached out with a roar and grabbed a hold of Glinda's wrist, turning her to face him and shoving her against the wall.

"Not so fast...I believe that you have something that belongs to me."

Glinda's glared at him with fire in her eyes, her hand gripping the Grimmerie even harder.

"You will never take this." Glinda spat, her voice icy. Still glaring at him Glinda brought her heel down on his foot. The man roared in pain, staggering backward away from Glinda. Glinda turned and ran out of the room, clutching the Grimmerie to her. Above her Glinda could hear the man raging and coming after her. As she stumbled running into the night, Glinda wished for the first time in her life that she wasn't wearing such a huge dress.

Glinda frantically searched for a place to hide the Grimmerie, somewhere the man would never think to look. A nearby building served as a gathering hall for public events and special occasions. Surely in there would be something in that Glinda could use. She took off running for the door, even as she heard the man come out of the palace.

Inside there was a long entry way, with many different corridors snaking off on each side. Glinda picked one of the corridors on the right and started towards it. As she rounded the corner she heard a door slam. Glinda froze, pressing herself into a corner. She heard nothing, all was still. Taking a breath, Glinda hurried down the hallway, trying to make as little sound as she could.

"Darn heels...Sweet Oz!" Glinda gasped as one of her heels broke, sending her toppling to the ground. "Oh for goodness sake!" Glinda kicked off her shoes, scrabbling to her feet again. As she neared the next bend Glinda struggled to breathe, her chest heaving, but didn't stop running. Suddenly, out of nowhere a man appeared, and unable to stop Glinda ran right into him. His hands gripped her shoulders roughly, the nails gripping her skin. Glinda cried out in pain and surprise, twisting to get loose.

Just as Glinda heard another set of footsteps from the opposite end of the hall the man slapped her hard across the face. Glinda crumpled to the floor, the entire right side of her face on fire. Glinda's vision was fuzzy and she saw stars. Vaguely she heard the mysterious man's voice above her, but she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Wrenching her eyes open Glinda saw the Grimmerie lying a few feet away from her hand. Glinda tried to ignore her throbbing head and lunged for it, her fingers closing on the book's cover.

"Oh no you don't!" The mysterious man grabbed Glinda's arm, wrenching it behind her back until Glinda was afraid it would break.

"Ahhhhhh! How dare you! I have never been treated this roughly in my life and..."

A hand whipped across her vision and smacked her again. Glinda cried out and slumped against the man, tasting blood in her mouth.

"I believe that it's high time you were taught some proper manners Glinda the Good." Glinda's head was swimming as she was lifted to her feet, and half carried, half dragged to one of the doors in the hallway. She heard a click, then was thrown roughly inside, landing awkwardly on the hard wooden floor. Glinda could see the smirk on the man's face in the faint light of the hallway. He was holding the Grimmerie.

"Thank you so much for leading me to this extraordinary book." He made a lavish bow, then slammed the door. Glinda heard a key click in the lock. Then their footsteps as they faded away.

Glinda ran at the door, beating it with her hands, clawing at the wood.

"Let me out! Open this door in the name of Oz! I demand you open this door! Do you realize who you're dealing with?" She gathered her skirts, backed up, then ran at the door, throwing her shoulder against the wood. Glinda accomplished nothing but increasing her headache. She hit the door a few more times, her fury slowly fading as her energy waned. Finally Glinda slumped against the door, tears rolling down her face as she realized that she had lost the Grimmerie.

"No...please...Elphaba...forgive me...I'm so sorry!"


	23. Chapter 22 Mysterious Man

_**I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Thank you again for being so patient with me! I think it's about time we had another chapter from the Mysterious Man. What do you think?**_

**Chapter 22: Mysterious Man**

The man stormed up and down the floor of his small hut, his breathing rapid and heavy. It had been hours since he had sent Rasher and his accomplice off to finish the Tin Man. But still, he hadn't heard any news. He was beginning to worry. If the Tin Man escaped, he could ruin the entire plan to capture the Witch. The Mysterious Man was beginning to think that it was time to take matters into his own hands. And he had an idea as to just where to start.

As he grabbed his cloak and walked outside under the darkening sky the Mysterious Man had his mind set on one thing. Obtaining the Grimmerie. That book was one of the last major pieces of the plan to capture The Wicked Witch. If he could obtain it, he was one step closer to reaching his goal. And the man had a good idea of where to start...

"Glinda."

The man headed towards the palace, circling around the back, sticking to the shadows. Instead of moving towards the door, the man walked towards a small earthen mound hidden by a clump of bushes. He swiftly moved aside a large tangle of briars and limbs to reveal a medium-sized, round hole. After a quick look around, the man slipped into the hole, pulling the foliage back over the hidden doorway.

After a few short minutes, the man emerged in the basement of the palace. After making sure the coast was clear, the man stole quietly up the stairs, his footsteps silent on the wood. As he paused to wait for a hallway to clear, he thought over his plan. Since Glinda seemed to be the only person who knew what had become of the Grimmerie, he had decided to let her lead him straight to it, weather she wanted to or not.

The man slowly opened the door to Glinda's room, seeing the last bit of the sun coming through the window. The man looked the room over, sneering a bit at all of the pink, frilly pillows atop of the bed. The man went straight to the shelves first, skimming his eyes over the books, magazines and papers littering the shelves. He opened the drawers and rifled through the papers inside.

"Nothing!" He sighed in frustration, going towards the trunk next. Still, no matter where he looked, there was no sign of The Grimmerie. The man slammed his palm against the window with a growl, causing it to swing open and let in the night air. As he looked down from the window, he could make a figure walking towards the castle.

"Glinda." He breathed, there was no mistaking the large, glittery gown. He hurried over to the closet, opening the doors. There was no other place to hide inside of the room, and he had to hope that Glinda wouldn't find him before she gave him some clue as to the whereabouts of the Grimmerie. He had to shove his way past all of the poofy dresses and the endless pairs of shoes on the floor. Then had to scruntch himself against the back corner, knocking his elbow against the wall.

"Sweet Oz...you had better show me that book Glinda the Good...or I will make you show it to me."

Soon, the man heard the door slowly open, and could see the shadow of Glinda beneath the door. He heard her go to the window, and could hear her saying something, but it was hard to make out. As he moved closer to the door, he could just make out her words.

"Wish I may...wish I might...have the wish I wish tonight." He rolled his eyes, dragging his hand down his face in annoyance.

In a moment, he heard the sound of the window being latched again, then heard Glinda's footsteps coming nearer. He backed up to the wall, praying to the unnamed god that Glinda wouldn't discover him. There was a pause, and the man held his breath, then he could hear her moving away again.

He crept closer to the door, putting his eye up against the crack in the frame. He could make out Glinda shoving something heavy across the floor. He heard her panting for breath, then could see her reaching for something...now she held something in her lap. The man could hear the turning of pages, and felt an exhileration.

"The Grimmerie." He slowly stood up, opening the door silently. Glinda was sitting, her back to him. As he moved closer he could see that she had a very old, faded book on her lap. He couldn't make out what was on the pages, but he could hear Glinda struggling to make it out. He paused a moment, savoring the realization that the book was finally within his grasp. His hand shot out, gripping Glinda's shoulder. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and sneered.

"Well Miss Glinda, it seems like you have finally become of use to me." He could see the look in her eyes, could hear the anger in her voice.

"You!" Suddenly, Glinda leapt up and tried to run past him. The man whipped his hand out, grabbing a hold of Glinda's wrist.

"Not so fast, I believe you have something that belongs to me." The man sneered down at her, his hands flashing to The Grimmerie.

"You will never take this." Glinda stomped on the man's foot, and a searing pain soared through the man's leg. The man howled in pain, releasing Glinda's wrist. He saw her storm out of the room and started after her, limping only slightly. As he thundered down the stairs, the man caught of a Glimpse of Glinda hurrying outside.

"Miss Glinda...you will pay for that." He growled, pushing through the doors. He noticed a small, pink figure sprinting towards the gathering hall across the lawn. He saw two shadows coming towards him and he slowed for a moment.

"Finally! I need you two to circle around to the back entrance of the gathering hall and aprehend Miss Glinda The Good. She is carrying a very important book with her, you are under no circumstances to harm that book! Do you understand me?"

Both men nodded, then took different paths towards the gathering hall. The man walked straight to the front doors, determination on his face. Soon, very soon, he would be one step closer to the Witch.

As he hurried into the spacious entry hall he heard a commotion off of the one of the first hallways. As he stormed down the hallway he saw both of his cronies near the end of the hallway, one of them was gripping Glinda by the shoulders. He heard her protesting, then saw the man strike her across the face, Glinda fell to the ground. The man stalked towards them, seeing Glinda's hand move towards the Grimmerie that had fallen from her clutch.

"Oh no you don't!" The man grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, and twisted it behind her back. He held her in his strong grasp as she struggled, and yelped in pain.

"Ahhhhhh! I have never been treated so roughly in my life and..."

The man gave a nod to his other henchman, and his partner slapped Glinda across the face again. She gasped and sank against the mysterious man. The man motioned to one of his partners to pick up the Grimmerie, then began to haul Glinda over to one of the doors. He couldn't have her making a racket and alerting the Gale Force. He wrenched open the door, shoving Glinda inside. Then he turned, and took the Grimmerie into his hands, a sharp smile playing across his face. "At last...it's mine at last." He turned back to look at Glinda, crumpled on the floor of the small closet he had opened. "Thank you so much for leading me to this extraordinary book." He made an elaborate bow, then closed the door, twisting the key in the lock and pocketing it.

He walked down the hallway and out of the gathering building, Glinda's screams fading with every step. He looked down at the book in his hands, stroking the cover, then opening it. The pages seemed to come alive before his eyes, and he looked up to the night sky.

"Now...Elphaba...we will finally discover the truth about what really happened to you." He turned to his henchmen, snapping the Grimmerie shut.

"Tomorrow we begin the next phase of our plan. Head into the Gillikin forest, wait beside the cave...keep your eyes open for the Tin Man, I have a suspicion that Rasher did not carry out his job correctly. I will take care of recruiting our other two forces. Make sure you keep a look out for the Witch also."

The men nodded, disappearing into the darkness. The man worked his way back to the small hut on the outskirts of the emerald city. By the time he got there, the letter he was planning to send was composed. He placed it on top of the table, hunching over the Grimmerie and trying to decipher its secrets.

_**My comrades,**_

_**The time that we have discussed is fast approaching. The Witch is close to being apprehended. I have obtained a very important piece of the puzzle. This is the time gentlemen, for a tyrant to be destroyed, and a new power to arise in Oz. You have your plans, do not act until I give the word. Remember the plan.**_

_**The time is at hand.**_


	24. Chapter 23 Boq

_**Allright! I am so sorry for making you wait for so long! I have been super busy with scholarship stuff and show choir. Plus, for a while, I had a major case of writer's block! Thank you for being so patient! So, on we go! I think it's time we got caught up with Boq.**_

**Chapter 23: Boq**

Boq racked his brain, trying to think of what to do next. He had to find a way to stop the Mysterious Man. He wasn't sure where to start, knowing that he would have to be extremely cautious, especially being so close to the Emerald City.

Boq wasn't sure if he should try and find Elphaba, or go back to the city and try and get help there. Boq had no idea where Elphaba was, or even if she really was alive, despite the evidence he had found. Boq decided to risk returning to the city, knowing that it would be difficult to hide himself once he cleared the forest.

Boq began to move through the forest, taking care to pause every few minutes and listen for anyone who might still be looking for him. Boq did not come into contact with anyone for a very long time, though he did not let his guard down. As the sun was casting early morning hues across the trees, Boq heard a small group of men coming through a thicker clump of trees. Boq ducked down behind a huge, rotting log. His joints threatened to squeak from not being oiled recently, and Boq willed himself not to creak and give himself away. He heard the men speaking to each other, stopping just on the other side of the log where Boq lay hidden.

"How far out do we have to go in this hideodious forest?"

"As far as the boss wants, you know the instructions."

"But what is the 'piece of the puzzle' that the boss found anyway? It sounds pretty important to me. Why wouldn't he let on what it was. I mean, we are on the same team after all, wanting to capture the witch and..."

"Shut your trap you idiot!" Boq heard the man's voice raise, and heard a short thunk which suggested that the man had struck his comrade in the head.

"The boss doesn't want it advertised what he's doing, and you blurting out our plans isn't very smart. Even the trees have ears."

Boq then heard their footsteps slowly fade away from where he was, eventually disappearing all together. Boq waited a few more minutes, for safety's sake, then crawled to his feet, wincing as one of knees squeaked. It had sounded like the strange man had found something important...something to lead him to Elphaba. Boq's worry intensified, thinking about what would happen to Elphaba if she were alive and the Mysterious Man found her. Boq hurried on through the forest.

Finally, Boq came upon the outskirts of the center of the Emerald City, close to the castle that Glinda lived in. Boq circled around to the back of a long, newer looking building to keep out of sight of the guards. As he peered around the corner of the building, he saw that the guards were standing just outside the entrance to this newer building, and the castle where Glinda lived.

Boq ducked back out of sight as one of the guards turned towards his direction. Boq shook his head, wondering why he was doing this. There was a strange, gnawing feeling in his stomach every time he thought of Elphaba, and this time it wasn't from hatred. He had an odd feeling that he didn't know the truth about why he had been transformed into the tin man, and that feeling had softened his hatred for the Witch.

The only thing that Boq knew was that he had to get Glinda's help. She was the only person he could think of who knew, at least somewhat, what the Mysterious Man wanted.

Suddenly Boq heard footsteps coming from close behind him. He quickly spotted a small back door to this newer building and ducked inside it, carefully closing the door so it wouldn't slam and give him away. He was in a long, empty hallway, the lights overhead dimmed and flickering. Boq began to walk down the hall, listening carefully for any noises that might be a guard.

As Boq turned a corner into another hallway he heard a different noise, one that made him stop in his tracks. It sounded like sobbing, though it was very muffled, as though it were coming from behind a door. His knee squeaked rather loudly as he took a step towards the sound and Boq froze again, listening carefully. He heard no footsteps from outside, but he did hear what sounded like pounding coming from a door a few feet away from him. As he moved closer he could hear a high voice coming from behind the door, the pounding growing weaker and fading.

"Help! Please, is someone out there? In Oz's name let me out! Please...please...I have to stop him...he took it...please let me out!"

"Glinda?" Boq cried, reaching the door and twisting the handle. The door was locked, but Boq pressed his eye to the keyhole. In the dim light he could make out the shape of a very poofy dress. It was Glinda all right. He heard her draw in a sharp breath as she heard his voice.

"Boq? Oh Boq!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out!" Boq silently cursed himself for leaving his axe behind. Reaching up his fingers found a loose pin on his head. He quickly loosened it the rest of the way and bent down to the keyhole. As he worked the pin in the lock Boq realized that Glinda had called him by his name. A small smile crept on his face as he maneuvered the pin and finally heard the lock spring open. He pulled the door open and caught Glinda as she fell against him, sobbing. Boq simply held her, not caring that he might rust from her tears.

Finally she straightened herself, taking a deep breath and attempting to smooth her hair down. Boq felt his fist clench as he saw the ugly bruise on her cheek.

"Glinda...what happened? Who did this to you?"

" That man! I...I don't know who he is, but he's been trying to find something...something that I had hidden. He snuck into my room and chased me here. Let's just say he was very...forceful."

"What was it? What was he looking for?" Boq saw Glinda's eyes search his for a moment, then flicker to the floor as she looked away. "Glinda," Boq lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him. "I know you don't trust me, and I haven't given you any reason to think otherwise...but I want to help you. To help Elphaba." He saw Glinda squeeze her eyes closed and turn her head away, uncertainty written on her face

"I used to work with this man. He told me that he thinks that The Wi...Elphaba, is still alive." He sighed, needing to get it all out at once. "But this man in dangerous, he is willing to destroy anything and anyone to get what he wants. I wasn't willing to do that...so he tried to have me killed. I don't know if I believe him about Elphaba, but I had to find you, you were her closest friend. Please Glinda."

"Boq...you're right, I don't know if I can trust you...but...you're all I have. Do you...do you think it might be true? Could she still be alive?"

"I'm not sure. I went to Kiamo Ko, that's where we found the scarecrow, and I think I found Elphaba's room. It was in a tower, there were papers, diagrams, a telescope...and something else. Do you remember when you told me about that green bottle that Elphaba always kept under her pillow? I think I found it."

Glinda looked at Boq again, a trace of wonder on her face.

"Boq...she could really be alive."

"If she is, she's in danger. I need you to tell me what the Mysterious Man took."

"Elphaba's Grimmerie, her book of spells."

Boq's stomach lurched as Glinda said the name. It sparked a memory inside of him. There was a fuzzy image of someone kneeling beside a large book...strange words coming from her mouth. Then the image was gone, and Boq could see the confused look on Glinda's face.

"Boq? Are you alright?"

"Yes...I will be...Glinda we have to find that man." Boq felt that with the Grimmerie in his possession the man would be more dangerous than before. "And if we find him, we might find Elphaba."


	25. Chapter 24: Elphaba

_**Hello everyone! I am so incredibly sorry for making you wait so long for an update. I was nearing the end of the school year and I had so much to do. I had two more plays to be in, along with studying for finals and getting ready for graduation. But now I'm finally graduated, and have much more time to update my fics! Once again, I apologize for making you wait so long! We're nearing the end of the story, so enjoy!**_

_**Green Girl 13**_

**Chapter 24: Elphaba**

Elphaba and Fiyero had been walking for what seemed like hours. Elphaba thought it would be too risky to use her broom, there were too many guards on the lookout for something unusual.

Elphaba paused beside a tangle of undergrowth, listening for the sounds of footsteps in the forest. She felt Fiyero grasp her hand and give it a squeeze. A small smile flitted across her lips, despite the frantic beating of her heart.

Elphaba had known how dangerous it was to even set foot in the Emerald City after her "melting". But she had not anticipated this strange man who was willing to do anything to hunt her down. Right now Elphaba was worried for Glinda, she had gotten a very bad feeling a while ago. It had seemed like she could hear Glinda's voice, pleading with someone...it felt like she was in danger, and the feeling had not gone away.

Elphaba stiffened, hearing a new sound fill the woods, a sound that she was not familiar with. A shadow blocked out the early morning sun as Fiyero grabbed Elphaba and the two crouched down in the thick underbrush. A whirring noise filled the air, and Elphaba saw the underside of what looked like a strange, hovering tik-tok machine. It was heading west from the direction of the Emerald City. Elphaba's eyes widened, her hand clenched Fiyero's as the machine passed by. The sound of distant tik-tok cars rumbled through the forest, Elphaba and Fiyero holding their breath as the sounds passed. When all was silent once more, Fiyero turned to Elphaba, who was still staring up at the spot where the hovering machine had been.

"Elphaba? What's wrong?"

"Something's happened...something worse than before..." She turned to look into Fiyero's eyes, her dark brows furrowed. "We need to follow those machines".

They began to backtrack through the forest, following the sounds of the strange machine that echoed off of the trees. Elphaba kept her hand tightly clenched in Fiyero's, afraid of what her feeling meant.

As they pushed past a clump of trees, the sounds suddenly stopped, dying away on the wind. Elphaba felt a prickle travel up her spine. Something wasn't right. She and Fiyero came to a stop, the trees suddenly opened up to a clearing. A short distance away Elphaba could recognize the shimmering surface of Kellswater.

"Fiyero", Elphaba said, turning to look at the scarecrow with sudden urgency. "If something happens to me, if we get separated...please, don't give yourself up, not for me."

"Elphaba..."

"Fiyero I thought I had destroyed you once! I'm not going to do it again. Promise me." She could see the fight within his eyes, then he sighed, kissing her hands.

"I promise." Elphaba smiled, kissing him lightly, the urgent feeling in her stomach strengthening.

A sudden noise from across the woods made them both freeze, crouching down in the bushes. From off to their right, another figure came into the clearing next to the lake of Kellswater. The sun gleamed off of the person's body, and Elphaba put her hand to her mouth as she realized who it was. She saw Boq turn towards the bit of woods he had just come out of, beckoning to someone. Suddenly, a familiar, high pitched voice echoed across the clearing.

"Boq! Oh darn these heels! Boq slow down!" Into the clearing came a small figure, clad in a frilly, though somewhat disheveled pink dress. Her blond curls, though looking a bit more ruffled than usual, still shone in the sunlight.

"Glinda I'm sorry, but we have to move as quickly as we can. We need to find Elphaba before that man does, if she really is alive."

Elphaba turned towards Fiyero, and she could see her own dark eyes reflected back at her in Fiyero's blue ones.

"Elphaba...we can't keep doing this on our own."

"I know", then a bit softer "I know." She looked back towards the clearing. "We have to let them know." All at once, Elphaba stood up, adjusting her hat above her eyes. She was grateful for Fiyero's strong hand in hers. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying not to feel as though she were stepping off of the edge of a cliff as she took a few steps into the sunlight.

It took a moment for Boq and Glinda to notice the figure cloaked in black standing beside the water, but when they did it was like time went still. Elphaba felt the wind start up, lifting her black cape in swirls around her shoulders. As she lifted her head, she locked eyes with the witch standing across from her. Elphaba saw shock written all over Glinda's face. She sagged backwards, her hand gripping Boq's shoulder to steady herself. Then the realization seemed to hit her all at once, and her bright blue eyes shimmered with tears. She slowly started to walk towards Elphaba, never taking her eyes off of her. Elphaba suddenly found herself wincing in pain, a single tear was running down her cheek. She silently cursed herself for allowing herself to cry, but she couldn't help but feel reassured by seeing Glinda again.

Glinda came to a stop just in front of Elphaba, tears now coming down her cheeks. For a moment neither woman said anything to the other. Then, Glinda reached out her hand and wiped away the tear on Elphaba's face.

"Oh Elphie, I've never seen you cry before..." Glinda's voice broke off and she wrapped Elphaba in a hug. "Oh Elphie! Is it really you? I thought...I saw you..." She suddenly let go of Elphaba and smacked the green girl across the face. "How could you do that to me! Do you have any idea how scared I've been!" Elphaba gasped, her hand flying to her cheek, she hadn't expected Glinda to be _that_ emotional.

"Well," Elphaba said, turning back to her friend. "I suppose I deserved that. You were never good at being surprised." She awkwardly placed her hands on Glinda's back, pulling her into a brief hug. "I wanted to tell you, I did. But I was afraid of what would happen if anyone else knew, I didn't want to put you in danger. But I guess I have anyway."

The sound of Fiyero clearing his throat broke the moment, and Elphaba turned to him.

"I'm sorry to break up this meeting, but I don't think we should stay long in this open space."

"Fiyero? Is...is that you?" Glinda asked, reaching out to touch his face.

"Yes, Elphaba saved my life with her spell. But we'll have to explain that a bit later, we need to..." suddenly the air was rent with the noise of a number of tik-tok machines roaring to life. A group of ground machines burst into the clearing, circling the group of friends. A number of men clad in strange, black uniforms stormed into view, guns aimed and ready to fire.

Suddenly Glinda screamed, and Elphaba whirled around. In all of the confusion, a man clad in a matching dark uniform with a long dark cape had grabbed Glinda, and was now holding her against him, a knife pressed to her throat. He had a dark hood pulled over his face, casting a shadow over his eyes.

"Finally!" His voice echoed across the now silent clearing. Elphaba glared at him, her long fingers clenching into fists at her side. "We meet at last, miss Elphaba Thropp, or should I say, The Wicked Witch of the West?"

Elphaba felt Fiyero tense beside her. She gripped his arm, casting a glance sideways at him for a moment. She told him with her eyes not to make a move, feeling rage building up inside of her as she turned her gaze back to the mysterious man.

"Who are you? Why are you hunting me?" The man simply stared back at her, his fingers digging into Glinda's arm, the other hand pressing the knife a tiny bit closer to Glinda's neck.

"In Oz's name, answer me!" Elphaba yelled, the words exploding out her, out of the frustration of seeing her friend in danger and not able to do anything about it, tired of being chased like some wild animal and never being able to be free.

"Who am I my dear? Your worse nightmare," and with that he pulled back his hood with one hand.

Elphaba gasped.

_**Okay okay, I know, another cliffie! I promise promise promise that the man will be reveled in the next chapter (which will be up by Thursday!) I'm not sure if I want this story to end in the next chapter or to break it up into two, but the story is very near its end. I am sorry again for making you wait for so long! Please read and review!**_


	26. Chapter 25: Fiyero

_**Hey hey hey! Thank you so much for reviewing! It means so much! Don't worry, I will reveal who the mysterious man is in this update. As a treat for all you patient readers, I will be giving you two chapters at once! cheers, throws confetti The story is almost done (sadness!) **_

**Chapter 25: Fiyero**

A pair of strangely familiar ice blue eyes glared out at Fiyero and Elpahba from a surprisingly handsome face. Though the strange man seemed to be in his early twenties, his young features were visibly worn from a life of hardship. Fiyero couldn't help but feel a small pang of pity for the mysterious figure looking back at him. He could see some sort of struggle going on within the man's eyes, and noticed how white his knuckles were that grasped the knife still held against Glinda's throat.

A small grin flitted across the man's face, and Fiyero saw him grasp Glinda's shoulder tighter.

"So, were we are, face to face. I have been searching for you for a long time. I knew that nothing as simple as a bucket of water could defeat the Witch who spread terror across Oz like wildfire."

"W..who are you?" Elphaba asked softly, her hand still clenched into fists at her sides. Fiyero noticed how her nostrils flared and her eyes sparked dangerously. He knew that there was no reckoning with her when she was that angry.

The man's grin curled into a sneer. He began to walk forward slowly, pushing Glinda along ahead of him. Glinda's eyes were wide and her breathing sounded a bit shallow.

"You do not know me, Elphaba Thropp, but I have known you for quite some time. I spent a great deal of time searching for you, and for anything that might lead me to you. Thanks to your friend here," He shifted his gaze down to Glinda, pulling her closer to him. Fiyero heard her sharp intake of breath as his grip on her arm tightened. "I have secured the most important piece of the puzzle. The Grimmerie."

One of the men standing a bit behind this strange man held up the ancient book. Fiyero saw Elphaba's eyes widen, and saw her jaw harden.

"I must admit, you did a very marvelous job hiding for so long. For a while, I almost believed that you had been melted. But then I seemed to remember a young girl with green skin producing wings for a hoarde of monkeys. I thought, 'anyone that powerful could not have been beaten so easily.' And it seems that I was right."

"You still haven't answered my question." Elphaba's tone was hard as ice, despite the fire gleaming in her eyes.

"All in good time." He nodded his head slightly to the right, and before Fiyero could react three men in black uniforms grabbed him from behind. He saw a group of others surrounding Boq, while two large uniformed men had grabbed Elphaba's arms and were now fighting to restrain her.

The mysterious man shoved Glinda to three more uniformed men, the knife still gleaming in his hand. Fiyero didn't like the wild gleam in the man's eyes as he moved slowly towards Elphaba.

"Let me tell you a story miss Tropp, one that I am sure you are very familiar with. Once upon a time, there was a man, a man who dreamed of a better life. He lived in a world very different from Oz. Then, one day, he found a way to escape, a way to travel to another land. For a while he was very successful, building a new empire, if you will. Constructing a glittering green city, roads that seemed to be paved with gold, and a new, more wonderful name for himself. By now you've probably guessed who this story is about, haven't you?"

"The Wizard." Elphaba breathed, watching the man like a hawk as he circled around her slowly.

"Precisely. Now, this man was not all that he seemed. He had captured the faith and heart of Oz with his slyness, magic tricks, and illusions. He became so powerful that he believed that he would never be discovered. But there came a day, when a young girl with green skin, and a strange talent for magic appeared, and stumbled upon his little secret. He was nothing but an ordinary man, fooling an entire world into thinking he was wonderful. But this girl, this...Witch, threatened to destroy all that this great man had built. This man wanted to be rid of the Witch, but she was very clever, and stole away to a place where he would never find her. Along the way she captured the heart of the captain of the guard, who followed her into hiding. Much to the dismay of her only friend in the world."

Here the man looked at Glinda, and she shrank back from his gaze. There was a worried, almost frantic expression in Glidna's eyes that Fiyero had never seen before. He watched as the strange man turned his attention back to Elphaba, still circling her like some mysterious predator waiting for the kill.

"Little did the Witch know that it would be her friend, her best friend, who would began the next chain of events. This friend, a Good Witch, heartbroken by the fact the man she loved had run away with the Wicked Witch of the West, suggested using the Wicked Witch's sister to bring the Wicked Witch back into the open, and therefore make it possible to capture her."

Fiyero saw Elphaba's eyes widen, locked on Glinda, whose own eyes were lined with tears.

"The Wicked Witch's sister was killed, and the Wicked Witch returned to what had once been the only home she had ever known. But she managed to escape yet again, slipping out of the powerful man's grasp like smoke. But this man was not to be defeated. With the help of a band of strange outsiders, the man discovered the Witch's hiding place. He had her destroyed, though he learned a terrible secret in return. A secret that not even the Witch herself was aware of, but one that would change her forever. But even though he had vanquished the Witch, or so it seemed, the man was still defeated, and forced to leave behind the world that he had built. But this man left clues behind, evidence of all that had happened, and instructions on how to reunite a shattered land. Evidence which I have used to find you, Miss Thropp, and with which I plan to finally carry out the Wonderful Wizard of Oz's legacy and purge Oz of your wickedness."

"How do you know all this?" Elphaba's voice was barely a whisper.

"Because my dear," the man answered smoothly, the light gleaming off of the blade of his knife, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz..." His gaze flicked upwards to meet Elphaba's,

"Is my father."

_**DUN DUN DUHHHHH! Oooooh! I loved writing this section! I've been waiting forever for the confrontation and here it is! There are still a few more chapters left! Please Read and Review! (I will try to have the next chapter up by Monday, possibly sooner.)**_


	27. Chapter 26: Mysterious Man

_**Hello all! Thank you for replying to my updates! I apologize for being a day late, I had major writer's block yesterday! I think there may be only three chapters left, I'm not sure how I want to split it up. Thank you for being so supportive! I will try to have the next chapter up by Thursday or Friday! Please continue to read and review! **_

**Chapter 26: Mysterious Man**

As the man softly answered Elphaba's question, he saw her eyes widen, heard her sharp intake of breath. The man noticed how her hands were now shaking slightly, how she stopped struggling and simply stared at him. A grin played across his handsome face as he saw how his words had effected her.

There was a silence that settled on the open patch of land next to the lake of Kellswater, a silence that felt almost solid to all who were there. The man ran his thumb lightly along the blade of his knife, watching the sun glint off of the metal.

"I never knew who my mother was, I never asked. The Wizard was afraid of what would happen if the people of Oz knew about me however, he was worried of the questions that would be asked. So he hid me, rasing in me secret and teaching me his methods of trickery." The Man chuckled softly, turning his gaze towards Elphaba, who glared back at him with shock.

"So I knew about your strange powers the moment that Madame Morrible mentioned you to my father. I was intrigued, for I had noticed some strange powers within myself. I saw you when you first arrived at the Emerald City, along with little miss pris over there." The Man inclined his head towards Glinda, who's mouth had dropped open and still hadn't closed.

"I watched you transform Chistery and the other monkeys, heard you reading from the Grimmerie. From that moment on I knew that you were dangerous. But still..." he moved closer to Elphaba until he was standing just in front of her. "I never expected you to be able to defeat the most powerful man in Oz. A man who had brought so much benefit and who had built a newer, powerful empire, defeated by a Witch."

The man narrowed his eyes, watching Elphaba glare at him, her strength renewing.

"You call discrimination a benefit?" Elphaba whispered, her voice carrying on the wind as she spoke."Your glorious wizard did nothing but tear Oz apart! He pressured Animals not to speak, putting them in cages and stripping them of their lives. He was planning to spy on the people of Oz using those monkeys, ready to crush anyone who tried to get in his way!"

Her eyes were smoldering now, and he felt his hand grasp the knife tighter as her words resounded in his ears.

"And you are no different," her voice was like ice as she struggled once more to be free of the two men holding her arms.

The man stood silent for a moment, regarding his captive. Then suddenly his arm shot forward, the blade instantly against Elphaba's throat.

"Am I!" He roared, his voice rising on the wind. "You know just because I do not have green skin doesn't mean that my life has been perfect. I grew up in hiding, never allowed to be seen for fear of ruining my father's reputation. But I grew to respect him, he was the only thing that stood between me and the street. I would have done _anything_ to make him happy. Do you understand that?" His eyes shifted towards the Scarecrow, catching the look that Elphaba had sent him. "Yes...perhaps you do." He glared back at the Witch, feeling his breathing becoming calmer. "As I said before Miss Thropp, I had taken an interest in you, for you seemed not to understand the depths of your powers. So when a young girl from a place called Kansas was hailed as the one who vanquished the Wicked Witch of the West, I became suspicious."

His eyes flashed as he pulled the knife a fraction of an inch away from Elphaba's neck.

"I knew that you were clever, and you would hide yourself away where no one would find you. That is why I needed to acquire the Grimmerie. I thought that it would help me to discover your hiding place. But I never guessed that on my search I would capture your boyfriend along the way." He looked over at the Scarecrow, who had tensed up, staring daggers at the man ever since he had put the knife to the Witch's throat.

"Well now you have me! Satisfied? I'm the one you wanted, not them. Release them, and I'll go with you."

"My dear, now that I have you surrounded, you will go with me whether you wish to or not. Your bargains will do you no good now."

The Man took a step back, regarding Elphaba, and could tell by the look in her eyes that she intended to fight him every step of the way.

"My dear, throughout all this you have not asked the question that I had been hoping you would ask." He walked over to the guard who was holding the Grimmerie, and took it from him. He opened the ancient book, flipping through its pages until he came to a stop, his finger poised on the page. His gaze flicked down the writing, and after a moment he began chanting, the words rolling off of his tongue. His voice crescendoed, and suddenly a harsh wind whipped up. A sneer flicked across his face as the sun was suddenly blocked out by angry black clouds that had appeared out of the blue cloudless sky. Thunder clapped somewhere in the distance, and wind howled like an angry beast and then slowly died away. The Man looked at Elphaba, who was staring at the sky, a look of disbelief etched on her face.

"You can read it?" She whispered, her gaze returning to the man.

"Yes, I can read it, the words become just as clear for me as they do for you."

"But...how? I thought that I was the only one...Even the Wizard couldn't read what it said!"

"No, no he couldn't read it." The man closed the book, seeming to weigh it in his hand as he walked forward. "He couldn't read it...because he was not of this world."

"But...Madame Morrible couldn't..."

"And she couldn't read it because she was of this world."

"What are you saying?"

"My dear, in order for the Grimmerie to make itself clear to its reader, that reader would have to be of mixed blood. An outcast. Someone who was a member of this world, and the unknown land outside of Oz."

He could tell Elphaba was working out what he had said, he could almost see the wheels of her mind turning.

"But...how could that be possible?...I..."

"Oh it is possible. You see, the Wizard had a bad habit of getting a little too close to his citizens. My mother was not the only one who he paid visits to." He took something out of his pocket, throwing it up in the air and catching it. "You recognize this, I am sure."

He stood in front of Elphaba, holding a small green bottle in front of her face. He could hear her intake of breath, and could see the realization come into her eyes as she read the label across the front of the green glass.

"Miracle Elixir." She whispered, barely able to speak

"The Wizard's secret to seducing the women of Oz who he ventured out to meet. One of them, the wife of a respected religious man, Frex, experienced some...complications with the Elixir. It seems that she may have been given a bit too much, seeing as her daughter turned out to be a bit...unusual." As the man said this he reached out his hand lifted Elphaba's chin, forcing her to look at him. She glared at him for a moment, then suddenly jerked her head from his grip, attempting to bite his fingers. He leapt backward, his anger flaring.

"Frex thought that he had been cursed by the unnamed god, that his green daughter was a punishment for his sins. He never knew that his daughter was green because his wife had been cheating on him with none other than the Wizard of Oz himself. You are of both worlds Elphaba, that is why you can read the Grimmerie, and that is why you have never been able to feel like you were a part of this world. I've felt the same thing, I know what it is not to be able to fit in. The Wizard was my father too...we are half-siblings you and I."

Elphaba glared at him, a hardness coming into her eyes.

"You are nothing like me! I may be labeled as a Wicked Witch, but I would never use my power to hurt others. I used to dream that I would meet the Wizard, I thought that if I met him, I would find my place, I would finally be loved! You aren't afraid to kill those who get in your way, and for what? So you can kill me? What then? Even if you do succeed, what then? You still won't fit it, it won't bring the Wizard back! Nothing good will come of what you are doing!"

The man clenched his fist, handing the Grimmerie back to one of the guards. He strode over to Elphaba, her words ringing painfully in his ears. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

"Shut up! I will finally rid Oz of the Wicked Witch of the West! I will be hailed as a hero, I will be given endless power over all the land. That is what I will accomplish in exterminating you!"

His breathing was heavy, all his rage coming out in his voice. He saw Elphaba turn back to look at him, and he could see the spark was back in her eyes. She knew that he words had gotten to him. He glared at her, his hand gripping the knife so hard that his knuckles turned white.

All of a sudden a commotion broke out behind him. He whirled around with a snarl, wondering what was going on. The Tin Man had broken free of his captors, and was now fighting off another group of his men. The Scarecrow had also managed to break free, somehow he had gotten a hold of one of the guard's daggers, and was now fighting them off.

Another shout echoed across the glen, and suddenly Elphaba was free, chanting under breath and sending his men flying through the air. Suddenly Glinda was free also, the Tin Man guarding her as he swung a large branch to fend off the guards.

The Man growled to himself, seeing his trap turning into chaos.

"Fine. If it's a battle you want, a battle it shall be."


	28. Chapter 27: Elphaba

_**Alrighties! We are getting very close to the end! I think this is the third to last chapter! I'm sorry for the slight delay, I developed an annoying bit of writer's block the past few days. Hopefully it's gone and I can get this chapter posted for all of you anxious readers! This next chapter will be a bit of a crazy one, the point of view is going to switch between characters. Please read and review!**_

**Chapter 27: Elphaba**

Elphaba felt a pang go through her as she read the label on the glass bottle held by the man. She couldn't count the number of times that she had looked at the same label on another green bottle, wondering about the woman who she knew as her mother.

She glared up at this strange man as he continued to talk, her blood running cold as the man declared that they were half-siblings. She couldn't believe that she was related to someone like this scum, who wanted nothing more than to tear Oz apart, seducing the people of Oz behind a fancy name and magic tricks. Just like the Wizard.

"You are nothing like me! I may be labeled as a Wicked Witch, but I would never use my power to hurt others. I used to dream that I would meet the Wizard, I thought that if I met him, I would find my place, I would finally be loved! You aren't afraid to kill those who get in your way, and for what? So you can kill me? What then? Even if you do succeed, what then? You still won't fit it, it won't bring the Wizard back! Nothing good will come of what you are doing!"

Elphaba saw the flash of a hand out of the corner of her vision, and suddenly her cheek was on fire. She heard him screaming at her, could feel his breath on her face. But somehow it didn't get to her. She actually felt like laughing in his face. She knew that it was all an act, her words had gotten under his skin and now he had lost the confidence he had had before.

Elphaba saw Boq out of the corner of her eye nod at someone behind her. A malicious grin spread across her face. A few seconds later the fight began. Boq was suddenly free, and Elphaba saw Fiyero break loose of the men who had been holding him. Elphaba started chanting under her breath, and taking advantage of the guards' surprise, shot them away from her. They flew a few feet and landed in a heap off to the side. Elphaba kept chanting, calling to mind different spells she had memorized from studying the Grimmerie.

Suddenly a different force knocked Elphaba off her feet. When she looked up she saw the man standing on a clear patch of land, his arms spread, and his face filled with rage. She could see his lips moving, but couldn't hear what he was saying. Suddenly Boq was blasted off his feet as well, spinning through the air and landing with a loud "clunk" on the other side of the clearing.

Elphaba clenched her fists, bringing her arms up and then sharply drawing them down, her voice strong as she yelled something in a strange language. There was a burst of light, and now it was the man who had gone flying.

**Boq**

Boq swung around, his fist clenched, feeling an odd satisfaction at the sound of metal on flesh. The two men he had been fighting off crashed into each other, the first now sporting a black eye. Boq spun around, feeling a presence behind him. He ducked just as another guard swung a large branch towards Boq's head. Boq charged the man, his head down. Before the guard could react, Boq had tackled him, sending him rolling across the grass.

Suddenly Boq heard the strange man's voice chanting something unfamiliar. All at once Boq felt as if his breath had been taken away, and he was flying through the air. He landed heavily, striking his head sharply on the ground. The world was fuzzy for a moment, the people within his sight nothing but blurs. But Boq could hear something...someone was yelling at him...he groaned, brining a hand up to his head as memories came pouring back to him...

"_I lost my heart to Glinda from the moment I saw her, you know that." The angry young woman in front of him glared at him with a look of pain on her face. _

"_Lost your heart?"_

"Nessa..." Boq breathed, closing his eyes against the throbbing pain in his head.

"_You'll lose your heart to me I tell you! If I have to...I have to...magic spell you!" Suddenly Nessa crossed the room to where the Witch was standing. Boq had almost forgotten she was there...he had been so shocked to see Nessa walking. Nessa suddenly grabbed a strange, old-looking book from the green girl's hands. She opened it and knelt on the ground, turning the pages frantically. She began to slowly chant, trying to read the strange book and stumbling over the words._

"_Nessa no! You're pronouncing the words all wrong!" All at once Boq felt a terrible wrenching pain in his chest. He staggered back against the table, his hand clutching his heart. He could hear Elphaba shout,_

"_Nessa!"_

"_What? Boq? What's wrong?"_

"_It's...my heart...I think it's shrinking." It was the only way he could describe the horrible pain that was filling his body._

"_Well, you've got to help him!"_

" _I can't! You can't reverse a spell once its been cast!"_

_He could feel the world going fuzzy, and felt his legs give out. Suddenly green hands were on his arm, lowering him into Nessa's wheelchair. He could still hear Nessa's panicked voice as he was wheeled back behind a screen._

"_It's all your fault! If you hadn't shown me that horrendable book!"_

"_Nessa stop! I've got to find another spell, it's the only thing that may work!" _

"_Save him, please save him! My dear, my sweet, my brave him! Don't leave me 'till my sorry life has ceased. All alone and loveless here, just the girl in the mirror, just her and me...the Wicked Witch of the East! We deserve each other..."_

_As Nessa's voice carried on in his ears he felt his limbs getting heavy...could see the world growing darker. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the feeling of Elphaba's breath on his face, and sound of Nessarose's voice. _

As the lost memory came back to Boq, he became aware of Elphaba chanting, sounding so much like the Elphaba in his memory that for a moment he wasn't sure he was awake. He vaguely saw a large figure go hurtling past him, could feel the wind picking up as more images flickered to the surface of his mind.

_Boq heard the faint murmur of voices as he opened his eyes. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he felt strange...his arms felt heavier than usual, and it was hard for him to turn his head. He couldn't quite remember what had happened...something had gone wrong...something to do with Elphaba. _

"_Uhhh...what happened?"_

_He heard Nessa's voice answer him after a moment. She sounded a bit nervous, though he couldn't think why. _

"_N...nothing, you just fell asleep." _

_Boq tried standing up, feeling the heaviness throughout his body. As he stepped into the light, he noticed that his hands looked odd...almost like silver. He held his hands up to his face, and his blood ran cold. _

"_Ahhhhh!" The scream ripped itself from his chest, unable to comprehend what he was. As he ran he heard Nessa's voice clearly echoing in his ears. _

"_It was Elphaba Boq! It was Elphaba!"_

"No...no it wasn't Elphaba...she saved me...oh what have I done?" Boq opened his eyes, feeling a sudden rush of guilt and rage. It was his fault, the man would never have gotten this far if Boq had not helped him. And for what? Revenge? Revenge for what? For Elphaba saving his life when he would have died otherwise?

Boq picked himself up, scanning the area for the man. Finally he saw him, struggling with Glinda, who had jumped in between the man and Elphaba.

The man had Glinda by the forearm, attempting to shove past her to get to Elphaba. But Glnda had her feet planted, digging her fingernails into the man's skin and shouting in his face. Suddenly the man switched his footing, catching Glinda off balance and the man threw Glinda to one side, his gaze now locked on Elphaba.

Boq charged forward, seeing the man raise his arm, a dagger glinting in his hand.

"No!" Boq grabbed the man's wrist just as he was about the plunge the dagger down. He saw surprise come into the man's eyes, which was quickly replaced by anger.

"I knew you were too much trouble to keep around! I should have finished you myself when I had a chance!"

Suddenly Boq felt a burst of pain on the back of his head, and was suddenly thrown to the ground. Three guards had snuck up on him while he had been fighting the man. Boq fought back with all he was worth, struggling to free himself from the tangle of fists and nails. He would never be able to live with himself if Elphaba was killed because of him.

**Fiyero**

Fiyero had managed to grab one of the guard's weapons from his belt, flicking his gaze toward Boq, who nodded once. As soon as the battle broke out Fiyero began to fight his way towards Elphaba. He saw Boq get thrown across the glen, and he started towards the strange man. But he was surrounded by a group of guards.

Suddenly another guard appeared, waving a burning torch in front of him.

"Let's see how fast Scarecrow's can burn."

With that he flung the torch at Fiyero's face. Fiyero stumbled backwards, twisting away from the flames and trying to leap to the right. The torch landed on a patch of dried grass, and began to burn quickly.

As smoke began to fill the air Fiyero fought his way towards the edge of the lake, praying to the unnamed god to make it through alive. He heard Elphaba's voice rising on the wind, could hear Glinda as well. He didn't know what was going on, but he suddenly felt another type of wind pick up. The air felt different somehow, and he could barely see anything in front of him. Something was happening.

**Glinda**

Glinda was doing her best to fight off the guards. She discovered it was rather difficult to perform magic without her wand. The first few spells she tried had no effect at all, and she had to quickly slip away from the guards (which was not easy to do in the dress she was wearing.)

Glinda saw Boq go flying, and felt something ignite inside her. She was suddenly grabbed by a very large guard, who actually picked her up off her feet. She dug her nails in his hand and shouted out a spell. Suddenly the guard screamed and dropped her, wheeling away and running into another guard who was waiting behind him.

Glinda turned as she heard the strange man scream. She saw him make his way towards Elphaba, his dagger raised. Glinda gasped as she saw that Elphaba had her back to the man, fighting off another guard.

Glinda ran towards them, grabbing the man's shoulder and flinging herself between them. She grabbed the man's arm, digging her nails into his skin and pushed all her weight against him. She saw him sneer and bit back a scream as he grabbed her forearm with his free hand. Glinda could feel his hand slowly pushing down, she couldn't hold him back for much longer.

All at once she felt him shift, and couldn't catch her balance quick enough. He now had the advantage. He gripped her tightly, glaring into her eyes for a moment.

"I am not finished with you yet."

Then he threw her to the side, sending her tumbling away from him. Glinda felt the wind get knocked out of her, and had to lay still for a moment to catch her breath. Glinda heard Elphaba shout, could hear something else hit the ground, and suddenly Elphaba was there. Glinda stood up shakily, gripping Elphaba's hand.

"Glinda, I need your help."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think I know how to beat him, but I need you to help me..."

Before she could continue, Glinda felt the ground shake, and was suddenly aware of the smoke that was filling the air. She could smell something burning, and could see the vague shadow of the mysterious man a few feet in front of them.

"You think that you can defeat me? This is a test...a test of your strength. But nothing you can do will be enough to stop me. You have no idea how much power that I, Direl, son of the Wizard of Oz, am capable of."

The man began reciting in a strange, low voice. Glinda couldn't make out the words, but Glinda felt suddenly scared. She felt Elphaba grip her hand, and saw a strange look in her eyes. It was the closest Glinda had seen Elphaba come to looking panicked.

"Glinda, I know a spell...a spell I've never tried before, but I think that it might be enough to defeat him. But..." She swallowed, pulling a page that had been ripped from the Grimmerie from her pocket.

"Glinda I can't do it alone."

"Elphie...Elphie I don't know the spell...what if I...?"

"It's simple, repeat what I say. But we have to keep a hold of each other. I'm not sure what will happen."

Glinda nodded, taking a hold of Elphaba's hands, feeling uneasy about what was going to happen.

"And Glinda...if something...if we get...seperated...I'm sorry for lying to you..."

"Elphie...don't apologize...I'm just glad I got to see you again."

For a split second Glinda caught a hint of a smile on Elphaba's face, the same smile she had seen a long time ago when a young girl with green skin first looked into a mirror and believed she was beautiful.

Elphaba began to read from the page, and Glinda repeated what she said, focusing only on the sound of Elphaba's voice. Soon they were chanting together, their voices blending as one, carrying on the air.

Glinda had no idea how long they chanted. Time seemed to slow down. Glinda could feel a wind pick up, could feel her hair blow around her face and heard a strange ringing in her ears. Soon she couldn't see anything but Elphaba's hands in her own. She heard faint screaming somewhere in the back round, could see strange lights flashing somewhere in the smoke.

Suddenly she felt Elphaba's hands slipping from hers. Glinda gripped Elphaba even more, scared of losing her again, afraid that she would never see her again if they let go.

Glinda looked up, and the fog parted for a moment, giving her a glimpse of Elphaba's face. The roaring was getting louder now, and wind was faster, colder against her skin. She saw Elphaba's eyes lock onto hers, and could read their expression:

_Hold on to me._

Glinda closed her eyes, aware of the roaring wind, the screams, the lights, but mostly aware of the feeling of Elphaba's hands in hers. One thing kept repeating itself over and over in her mind.

_Hold on, hold on...hold on..._

Then everything went black.

_**Bum bum bum! Okay, so I think that there will be one more chapter and then an epilogue. I think both of these sections will be fairly short. I apologize again for the delay! Please read and review. (I will try and have the last two sections posted before Friday, I'm going to Italy for two weeks and am leaving on Thursday night. I don't want to leave you all hanging while I'm gone.)**_


	29. Chapter 28: Glinda

_**Hey there! We're down to the second to last chapter! It's a shortie, and then there will be an epilogue! Please read and review!**_

**Chapter 28: Glinda**

Slowly voices filtered through the strange darkness that surrounded Glinda. She put a hand up to her head, aware of a painful throbbing in her temples. She tried to remember where she was as she felt someone's hand on her face.

"Miss Glinda? Glinda can you hear me?"

Glinda opened her eyes, putting a hand up to shield against the sun that was shining brightly from the sky. Suddenly all the memories came flooding back to her. The Mysterious Man...Direl...the little green bottle...the spell.

"Elphaba!" She sat up, flinching as a new wave of pain pulsed in her head. "Where is she? Is she alright?"

"Miss Glinda! Calm down...please."

For the first time Glinda looked at who was speaking to her. He had warm brown eyes, and a friendly smile. His hand was resting on her shoulder, his _human_ hand.

"Boq?"

"You remembered my name." A huge smile spread across the Munchkin's face as he slowly helped Glinda to her feet.

The world spun for a moment, and Glinda clutched on to Boq's arm, trying to take in all that she was seeing. The scene could not have been more different. The sky was clear, the blue surface of Kellswater was shimmering, and Glinda could hear a few birds singing from the forest. There were no more guards, it was as if they had vanished into thin air. The only sign of that battle that had raged was a large black stain on the green grass. As if someone had exploded on the spot. She could see a strange smoke rising from the area, and saw a familiar green book lying a few feet away, a few black marks on its surface.

Elphaba walked over to the Grimmerie, scooping it up off the ground. As her hands traced the burns on the cover she looked wildly around her, but saw no sign of Elphaba.

"Elphie! Elphie where are you?"

Glinda heard her voice echoing through the trees, with nothing but the birds answering her.

"Please Elphie...please don't leave me again..."

As Glinda turned around she saw another form sitting on the ground, shaking his head in confusion. As Glinda walked closer she gasped a she realized who it was.

"Fiyero!"

The handsome man looked up, his blond hair falling discheveled about his face as he gazed with wonder at his human hands..

He slowly stood, a small smile on his face. Glinda hugged him tightly, feeling a few tears trickle down her cheeks.

"I thought you were dead...I mean...I heard what that man said to Elphaba about you but I didn't really think...oh Fiyero." Glnda pulled back, looking up at him, the worry in her eyes reflected in his.

"I'm not sure what happened...I'm...me again."

"Fiyero, Elphaba and I performed a spell together I don't know exactly how it workedbut...Fiyero I don't know what happened to her! I tried to hold on to her, I did but it was so loud, and I couldn't see and..."

"It's okay...we'll find her Glinda. She survived before...we'll find her."

Glinda nodded, wiping her cheeks with her hands as Boq came slowly over to them. He had a look on his face that Glinda couldn't quite place, something between worry and guilt were etched in his eyes. Glinda tried to smile at him, slipping her hand into his and giving it a squeeze. She could see the surprise come into his face at that, but then saw a small smile flicker across his features before he became worried again.

"I...I can't believe what I've done...I hunted her down like she was some kind of animal...and all that time I never knew...she saved my life. And I thought that she had intentionally destroyed it."

"So that's why you hated me." A familiar voice echoed across the clearing. Glinda looked over her shoulder, and her knees nearly buckled. There was Elphaba, black cape flying, broom in hand, green as ever.

"I wondered what Nessa had said to you after you woke up..."

"Elphaba...I'm sorry, I had no idea...I guess, I guess I believed what the Wizard and Morrible were spreading through Oz..."

"don't worry Boq...I didn't think that the spells would have quite an effect on your memory. Besides...I think some good has come out of it." She grinned slightly as both Glinda and Boq glanced at each other and blushed.

Glinda then walked over to Elphaba, simply looking at her for a moment, marveling at the strength her friend had, and a bit in awe of what they had done together. She quietly handed Elphaba the Grimmerie,

"Here...this belongs to you." Glinda watched as Elphaba ran her fingers lightly over the burn marks on the cover, then slipped into a pocket of her cape.

"Thank you."

"But what happened? How did you know what that spell would do? I thought I'd lost you again Elphie!"

"I wasn't sure what it would do exactly. The only thing the page revealed to me was that it would take two different halves to complete the spell. Halves that when connected, would form a bond powerful enough to break through any obstacle. Direl may have had inherited powes from the Wizard, but that was all he had. He never really found the one thing that really matters...a friend." Elphaba grinned at Glinda, a familiar blaze in her eyes.

"But Glinda...I can't stay...even though Direl is gone...it won't stop Oz from believing the Wizard's lies." She held up a palm to stop Glinda's protests.

"If I stay it will just mean more danger for all of us. Direl wasn't the only one who wanted to destroy me."

"Oh Elphie!"

Glinda threw her arms around her friend, silently praying to the unnamed god that they would see each other again. For a moment she felt Elphaba stiffen, she had never really gotten used to hugs, but she awkwardly patted Glinda's shoulders and hugged her back.

"Don't worry," Elphaba said as they parted, and Fiyero came up to take her hand. "We won't be apart forever."

Glinda smiled, feeling Boq's arm around her shoulders and tears welling up in her eyes.

As Elphaba and Fiyero rose up on the broomstick, Glinda suddenly rushed forward, seeing Elphaba turn back to look at her.

"Elphie wait! The spell did all this...Boq and Fiyero...but...why didn't it change you? Wasn't that your dream? To be...uh...'degreenified'?"

Glinda saw Elphaba grin under the brim of her hat, her white teeth standing out against her green skin.

"Dreams change. Green is just who I am."

_**Wait! It's not the end yet! There is still an Epilogue to be read! (There will also be info about my next fic after the epilogue.) Please read and review!**_


	30. Epilogue

**_Sniff This is it, the last chapter of my story, Look to the Western Sky! I want to thank all of you who enjoyed this story, and kept up with it (even if I took FOREVER to update sometimes). This was my first big fan fiction that I've written, and I've enjoyed reading all of your comments. I am leaving today for about two weeks, I will be in Chicago for three days and then in Italy (I'm touring with a show choir). When I get back I will begin posting chapters for my new story, Erik. This will be a Phantom of the Opera fic, about the childhood of Erik, the boy who will become the Phantom of the Opera. I have the prologue written, and an outline of other chapters, through I might have to do some tweaking! I will try to have it up by the first week in July. I'm not sure if I'll write another Wicked fic for a while, I might have to see the show for a 4th time (). Thank you again for all your support! Enjoy the end of Look to the Western Sky. _**

**Epilogue**

After the battle with Direl, things began to change in Oz. Glinda and Boq returned to the Emerald City, a plan in mind. They unlocked the huge room that had been the Wizard's throne room, and searched it. Dozens of books, charts, maps and papers were found, some in the Wizard's handwriting, many of the newer documents were in a different script.

Glinda announced to the people of Oz the Wizard's true intentions, using the documents she had found and her own experiences with the Wizard as evidence against him. The people were unsure what to believe. Many refused to listen to what Glinda was saying, not daring to believe the Wizard could have been anything less than wonderful.

Through the months that passed, Glinda continued to speak out, lifting the bans on Animals and doing all she could so that the truth was finally revealed. Boq was by her every step of the way. Glinda began to realize just how smart Boq really was, and was grateful to have him with her.

Almost a year since the battle began, and Glinda had not heard anything of Elphaba and Fiyero. She knew that Elphaba had been right about Oz still being dangerous for her, but that didn't stop Glinda from missing her. But at least this time Glinda knew she was alive, and that maybe someday, if all of their hard work paid off, Elphaba could come out of hiding.

Glinda had the castle of Kiamo Ko restored, clearing away the debris and replacing the books and furniture that had been ruined in Direl's raid. The tower room was Glinda's special project. She had everything specially made, a new telescope, tables, new chart paper and graph sheets, books on different stars and planets, spells and Animals, everything that she knew Elphaba might someday use.

In a green glass vase by the window, Glinda had put a bouquet of pink roses, mixed with a special flower that came from the north, its petals a deep emerald green. Glinda refilled the vase nearly every two weeks, when the flowers began to wilt. One evening, just as the sun was beginning to set, Glinda opened the door to the tower room, fresh flowers in hand, when she saw something lying on the table. Glinda put the flowers aside, her hand going to her moth as she saw what it was.

On the surface of the table, lay a large, frilly pink flower. It was actually a pin, used as a hair decoration. Glinda remembered the night when she had tried to show Elphaba how to be popular, she had put that flower in the green girl's hair. Glinda remembered Elphaba's face as she looked at herself in the mirror that night, could see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as Glinda announced that she was beautiful.

Glinda reached out her hand and touched the pin, a small sigh escaping her. Then she saw the piece of parchment that was lying neatly folded underneath the hair pin. Glinda slowly unfolded the paper, knowing already who it was from. As she read the message, Glinda felt tears start rolling down her cheeks, a small smile playing across her face. She clutched the paper in her hand as she moved to the window, staring out at the forest bathed in the light of the sunset.

Somewhere near the edges of that forest, another figure stood looking up at the window of Kiamo Ko. She pulled her hood from her face, her eyes fixed on the small, pink figure standing by the window. She smiled to herself, knowing that her message had been received.

Elphaba had not seen Oz since that day by the lake, she had to get away, not just because of the dangers still lurking there, but because of what had been revealed about herself the day of the battle.

At night sometimes she dreamed that the Wizard was there, trying to get her to agree to his scheme. Other times it would simply be his voice, drifting to her through blackness,

_I am a sentimental man...who always longed to be...a father..._

Elphaba wondered constantly if he had known, if he had realized that he set the entire city of Oz hunting for his own daughter. He had known about Direl...but Elphaba shook her head, forbidding herself to dwell on thoughts of the past. She may never truly know anything about her father...but she was glad that she understood more of her powers, and herself.

Every time she looked at Fiyero, caught him gazing at his hands as he still did sometimes, she would wonder about what exactly had happened as she Glinda chanted the spell from the Grimmerie. Sometimes Glinda's question would came back to her...and she couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't been changed. But then she would tell herself that she had always been green, Boq and Fiyero were transformed because they were not naturally a man of tin or a man of straw. She sighed lightly, looking back up at Glinda in the window.

"Fiyero...if I wasn't...if I had been changed by that spell...would you...would you think I was beautiful."

"Elphaba" the came up beside her, kissing her forehead, "I already think you're beautiful, I have for quite some time...don't tell me that you're not" he added as she opened her mouth to speak.

"It's like you said that day, green is who you are. I can't see you any other way."

Elphaba smiled up at him, kissing him lightly and taking his hand as they turned to walk back towards the heart of the forest.

"Thank you...I love you Yero my hero"

"And I love you, Elphaba Thropp."

Just before they came out of sight of the castle, Elphaba looked back one last time, smiling as she pictured her friend, still looking out of the window, her note clutched in her hand.

"Goodbye Glinda, we'll be together again...I promise."

As Elphaba turned away and pulled her hood up, a familiar grin spread across her face, her mind picturing the words printed on the small piece of paper that Glinda held.

**Defy Gravity**

The End

_**And there you have it folks, my story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You have been so wonderful, leaving comments or suggestions, as well as many different guesses as to who the Mysterious Man could be. (A few of you were close!) Thank you again for all of your support! I hope you'll read my next story, Erik, as I begin to post it in July. I love you all! **_

_**Green Girl 13**_


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